Category: RESOURCES

Athletes and Mental Illness

One of the biggest news stories this week centered around Olympian gymnast Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the competition, citing her mental health. She opened up about the pressure that she was facing, especially as the top performer in her sport. Similarly, Naomi Osaka made similar headlines when she chose to stop making appearances to press conferences after tennis tournaments because of the toll that they took on her mental health before withdrawing from Wimbledon altogether.   Continue reading Athletes and Mental Illness

Mental Health America

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.

Recently while doing some research both for school and my own personal curiosity, I stumbled onto the website for Mental Health America. I was interested in looking for different mental health questionnaires and screenings. Continue reading Mental Health America

Using Your Phone to Practice Deep Breathing

There are tons of breathing and meditation apps available online (we’ve covered a few of them before if you want some suggestions!). If you’re running out of space, unsure which one is best for you, or just want something that’s convenient, finding a tool to help guide you with your breathing to help you get or stay calm may be easier to find than you think. Continue reading Using Your Phone to Practice Deep Breathing

Using Books to Learn and Cope with Mental Illness

Maybe your child is a bookworm. Maybe they have “reading more” as one of their plans for this summer. Maybe your child reads as a hobby and use it as a form of stress relief when they need a break from school and/or work. Whatever the reason, they may be on the lookout for something new to read. Continue reading Using Books to Learn and Cope with Mental Illness

“When I Came Out”

Mental health and mental illness are almost always tied to marginalized groups, with those who identify as LGBT being no exception. You’re probably somewhat aware of the staggering differences in statistics between queer people and those who are cisgender and/or heterosexual (if you want to check out the specifics, you can do so here), especially in queer youth as they try to navigate these identities. Continue reading “When I Came Out”

The South Asian Sexual and Mental Health Alliance

For Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month, we wanted to highlight the South Asian Sexual and Mental Health Alliance (SASMHA) today. The organization was developed to specifically provide resources and fight the cultural stigma that South Asian youths (who also referred to themselves as “desis”) face when it comes to various topics, including mental health. Continue reading The South Asian Sexual and Mental Health Alliance

How to Use Empathy

This video was based on a TED talk by Dr. Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent more than a decade studying vulnerability, courage, worthiness, shame, and belonging.

Have you been on both sides of the hole? Have you ever climbed down in the hole to be with you child? Has it helped?

How did this video make you feel? What kind of changes in your life did it make you want to make? Or did it remind you of something you or your child went through? Please share below.

Helping Your Family Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is not just important for your physical health, but can have substantial benefits for your mental health and your mood too. This is especially important now during the late spring and upcoming summer, where the heat and humidity can make it even easier to get dehydrated. The sluggishness of the summertime along with the lack of motivation that can come with mental illness symptoms can make it difficult to get enough water throughout the day, making the dehydration effects even worse. Continue reading Helping Your Family Stay Hydrated

An App to Consider: Oak

There are a lot of benefits with deep breathing. Although the steps are incredibly simple (deep breath in, hold, breathe out, repeat), you can try different patterns and lengths of time, and may need some assistance with it. You may also want a source of some background noise instead of searching “calming sounds” online and hoping for the best.

Continue reading An App to Consider: Oak