You’ve probably heard of flower language before, where each plant and flower represents something. Some are pretty popular, like roses meaning love, some are obvious, like forget-me-nots, and others can be negative, like marigolds meaning grief.
Therapy Isn’t for “Crazy People”
Therapy often has a bad connotation. Many people associate therapy with being “crazy.” By crazy, I mean someone who may experience delusions or engage in highly erratic behavior. I have heard a plethora of people avoid going to therapy simply because they believe “it’s for crazy people.”
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Linking with a Buddy
It’s not uncommon for those with mental illnesses to experience loneliness. Sometimes, it’s the brain tricking you into thinking you’re alone despite being around people close to you, or it can be self-inflicted and isolating yourself from others, unable to bring yourself to be social in any way.
Why has JUUL Attracted so Many Adolescents?
Chances are, you’ve heard of JUUL. Like any phenomenon and trend, the word itself may cause an immediate response: recognition, mocking, maybe even confusion. But like any phenomenon or trends, especially one that’s mostly popular with teenagers and young adults, everyone has an opinion on them.
Continue reading Why has JUUL Attracted so Many Adolescents?
Addressing Boys and Mental Health
With the recent rising rates of depression in the US, mental health is being recognized as a crisis in American youth. While mental illness is commonly thought to be associated with girls, statistics tell us that boys are just as vulnerable.
Caffeine and Mental Health
The SOVA Project is happy to feature this blog post written by one in our team of fantastic SOVA Ambassadors—these are young people who help create meaningful blog posts from adolescents’ perspectives.
Last month, I wrote about the comforting properties of hot beverages. I’d like to dig a little deeper into a component of some popular hot drinks: caffeine.
Staying Warm
Even though it’s the fresh start to the year, January can feel exactly the opposite. There are no festive holidays – where it’s too late for stores to continue their Christmas and winter holiday promotions but far too early for the pinks and reds of Valentine’s Day – and it’s deep in the middle of winter. The weather can feel unpredictable lately, but generally, January is a time where winds are biting, it starts getting dark as early as 4:30 in the afternoon, and it’s just cold.
Finding a Therapist for Minorities
When someone imagines a therapist, the typical image that comes up is that of an older white man or a young white woman. Unfortunately, this is more often accurate than not.
Apps Monitoring Mental Health
Studies may differ when reporting just how many teenagers and young adults use smartphones – some list 89%, others say 95% – but it goes without saying that it’s almost impossible to see one without a phone in their hand or close to them. As the number of youths using smartphones increases, just like the number of youths being diagnosed with mental illnesses, some researchers are trying to see if one can help the other.
Queer Adolescents of Color
QPOC, an acronym standing for “queer people of color,” are minorities in several ways. Not only are they racial minorities, but they are also members of the LGBTQ+ community. This intersectionality – the ways that things like discrimination and disadvantages overlap if you belong to more than one marginalized group – can be difficult, especially during adolescence.