Gratitude Prompts

Use a gratitude prompt to start a conversation with your teen!

According to Grateful, researchers at Harvard Medical School report, “Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

However, Brianna Steinhilber writes that while practicing gratitude seems simple enough, it can be difficult for some, “especially if you’re a person who has a hard time expressing emotions, or you’re going through a rough patch that makes channeling gratitude difficult.”

Therefore, to begin, use a gratitude prompt. Gratitude prompts can tap into your creativity and help you recognize the things you’re grateful to have in your life. Also, try writing them down by keeping a gratitude notebook or use them at the dinner table or in the car to talk with your child!

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Learning A Balance Of Attitude

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.


This semester, I joined a new student organization at the University of Pittsburgh called Creative Minds Driven to Overcome (CMDO). I had the idea that service should be a fun, enjoyable experience for people to have and knew that a lot of students saw it as a chore instead. This philanthropy-based club has a carefree nature and emphasis on education and fun. Essentially, we hold events that the members are interested in and raise money to donate to a cause that the members choose.

But as much as I am excited and passionate about building this new project, I am just as nervous and pessimistic about it. …

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Be Your Own Valentine: Love Yourself

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.


A few months ago, I wrote a blog about an emotionally abusive relationship I was in. Afterward, I decided that I would give the relationship another shot, but the relationship escalated to be physically abusive. As a result, for the final time, the relationship ended.

It just so happened that the relationship ended around Valentine’s Day, which I felt like was the worst thing that could ever happen. I thought that I needed the love of someone else to make me feel whole. However, I learned through this breakup that loving myself was the best way to go. I think happiness should come from within.

The best way to start loving yourself is by participating in activities that you enjoy. Here are some of my interests that are helping me getting over my breakup:

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A Recipe for Stress Relief

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.

Spending time in the kitchen can help your child deal with stress:

Sometimes life is stressful. Sometimes you want to eat cookies. Sometimes, both of those feelings happen at the same time!

A friend of mine recently introduced me to “procrasti-baking”, which she defined as “making food for friends in order to put off doing your work”. While procrastinating is not always a great idea, there is something about baking and cooking for others that makes me happy!

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Writing Letters

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.


Writing letters can help your adolescent give meaning to their experiences

When I was going through intensive treatment for my eating disorder, we had one group session where we discussed the powerful impacts of writing letters to ourselves or the people in our lives. These types of letters can be a great way to remember all the positive aspects of your life, express gratitude, or release emotions that may be causing you distress. Writing letters can be an incredibly effective journaling prompt, since it allows you to express your thoughts and concerns regarding a specific area of your life.

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How Some Online Stress Can Help Your Adolescent

“Stress” has become such a loaded word in our society. The internet is full of articles about reducing or even “getting rid of stress,” as if stress were like a disease that has to be eradicated.

But did you know that humans are actually evolved to need a certain amount of stress?

Of course, being overwhelmed with stress all the time—usually called “chronic stress”—can hurt us. But a moderate amount of short-term stress can improve our powers of awareness and even improve our memory and short-term immune function.

There are now researchers who are studying the effects of short-term online stress on adolescents’ mood. Continue reading How Some Online Stress Can Help Your Adolescent

Helping Your Child Back to School

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 for us to share.

Sometimes it can be hard for students to go back to school after the holidays, especially for students with anxiety like myself. The rapid transition from the relaxation with friends and family to the hustle and bustle of MANY assignments can be overwhelming. However, there are a few things that can help with the anxiousness of starting a new semester.

For example:

  1. Get a planner. Getting a planner is the first step to becoming organized in college. Writing out when your assignments are due gives you a picture of when stuff needs to be done. This gives you a strong idea of what is happening around you academically versus feeling as though you don’t know what is going on, which would produce more anxiousness.
  2. Make to do lists. It is so frustrating forgetting to do something that you really needed to do. Making to do lists could assist you in not forgetting those important things. Also, being able to cross items off your to do list after you completed them makes you feel accomplished and productive!
  3. Give yourself breaks. Academics are extremely important; however, if you do not take time for yourself then you will burn out. Giving yourself a break can be doing whatever relieves your stress and brings you joy including hanging with friends, exercising, or simply taking a nap. After giving yourself a break, you will feel less anxious, more relaxed, and will be ready to get back to the books.

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These three tips are what I use when I begin a new semester and I continue to do these things as the semester progresses. These three items help me stay on top of my academics and help ease my anxiousness.

What are some things that help your child go back to school after a break?

Mental Health America put out this simple checklist to help parents make sure they are ready when their child returns to school.

Making Your Activities Count

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 for us to share.

When you’re struggling with mental illness, it can be very useful to have certain activities where you can divert your attention from unpleasant thoughts and focus on something you enjoy. This could be anything from reading to making crafts to playing games. Fun activities are a great way for lifting your spirits and relieving stress, but there may come a point where the benefits begin to fade.

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Many times I’ve found myself taking up an activity that I usually enjoy only to realize that in doing so I’ve missed an opportunity to have meaningful experiences with others, try something new, or learn something about myself. I also began to notice that I wasn’t as enthusiastic about what I was doing. For instance, I love to read, but over time I noticed that I was reading because I felt obligated to do so, which was my way of avoiding other responsibilities or situations. I also wasn’t as immersed in what I was reading. It became a habit rather than a hobby. Fortunately, I’ve worked out the best times of the day to read that won’t prevent me from experiencing other things that could enrich my life, and I’m beginning to find joy in this activity once again.

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