LEARN Archives - Page 3 of 51

Holiday Season Done Differently

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. We hope you can use their post to start a conversation with your adolescent.

This holiday season has already been one like no other. With family not allowed to leave their state and having older grandparents/family members who are more vulnerable, I sometimes get a rush of sadness that I will not be able to spend the holidays with all my family. My family would always travel for Christmas to see all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, but this year we are not able to. I do realize that the risk of exposure to my grandparents is something I would not risk. Continue reading Holiday Season Done Differently

Sleep Hygiene

The amount of sleep I’ve had in any given night is the single most important determinant in how my day is going to go. This is because sleep correlates with emotional well-being, physical health and ability to concentrate and function properly throughout the day. I find myself especially cranky and kind of insufferable to be around on days that I haven’t had enough sleep – I’m one of those “don’t talk to me until I’ve had coffee” kind of people. Continue reading Sleep Hygiene

Loss and the Holidays

The holiday season this year looks very different for everyone, and in particular there may be people like myself dealing with the first holiday season without a loved one. In February, my grandpa passed away. With the pandemic hitting shortly after, I have struggled to come to terms with the reality of it and believe at times I haven’t been able to fully grieve having not spent any real time with my grandma or spent time in their home without my grandpa there. These feelings are hard and unique to this year, and I am sure the holidays coming up will continue to be a bit confusing and surreal. Continue reading Loss and the Holidays

Discussing Suicide with Your Child

Talking about suicide with your child can feel tricky and intimidating- what if you say the wrong thing? What if you offend them? What if bringing it up makes the problem worse? These are all normal concerns to have but overcoming these apprehensions could be life-saving for a teenager or anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts. Continue reading Discussing Suicide with Your Child

Time and Anxiety

Recently, it feels like time has perpetually changed its speed. At one point, it seems like time is passing faster than the speed of light. Then there are other points where it seems like time couldn’t possibly drag any slower. I can’t seem to ever notice it actually change speed, but when I see that it’s 4:30PM on a Monday but I can’t even recall waking up on Saturday, my mind is so confused that I lose the ability to focus on anything else. Time also seems to change speed when the people you live with leave town for a week or two. You don’t necessarily have them to keep you grounded in your perception of time, even though you have work and school to give you somewhat of a schedule. Continue reading Time and Anxiety

Overcoming Holiday Eating Anxiety

I was recently swiping mindlessly through my friends’ Snapchat stories when I came across one who had storied a flyer from her gym titled, “Maintain, Don’t Gain!” that quoted the statistic that, “the average American will gain 5-10 lbs this holiday season.” The point of their flyer was to encourage users to sign up for more fitness classes this season. Continue reading Overcoming Holiday Eating Anxiety

Understanding Insurance for Mental Health

Affordable health care, including mental health care, should be available to everyone. Unfortunately, understanding insurance is no easy task and navigating through state-funded insurance can be even trickier. We have put together a short guide to try to make the process easier. Continue reading Understanding Insurance for Mental Health

Is Therapy for Your Child a Waste of Time?

When asked to carve out part of your day to talk to your therapist, it can make therapy appear like a time-consuming endeavor. However, the benefits of therapy do not occur immediately. So, when considering if treatment is a waste of time, it is important to think about its long-term effects. Continue reading Is Therapy for Your Child a Waste of Time?

How to Deal with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Every year, millions of people deal with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), and I happen to be one of them. I tend to have symptoms of depression such as sadness, little interest in doing things, and loss of concentration right around the time where the leaves begin to turn colors and the air becomes a bit colder. It usually lasts for a few months until the spring finally comes around. For me, I was not even aware that it existed until a few years ago when my doctor had brought it up during an appointment. Continue reading How to Deal with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Well it is winter. The days are shorter, it gets dark earlier and its going to get very very cold. With this change in the seasons, sometimes we can notice a change in ourselves. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that is related to the change in seasons.

Continue reading Seasonal Affective Disorder