We often use fictional novels as a means of escaping, to explore new worlds and living the lives of characters as a means of getting away from our own. And although fictional books are just that, fiction, stories are almost always reflective of things going on in reality. And although novels give us an opportunity to escape, we may find ourselves becoming attached to characters who share our backgrounds and experiences, and we may find ourselves learning more about who we are through them. Continue reading Young Adult Novels about Mental Health
Category: RESOURCES
An Online Guide to Medications
The idea of taking antidepressants or any other medication to support mental health can sound intimidating and almost scary at first. You and your child might have a ton of questions about which is the most effective for your child, how they might affect them, the potential side effects, or even just how to pronounce the names. Continue reading An Online Guide to Medications
Asian American Mental Health Resources
This week, we wanted to highlight how mental health affects Asian Americans. Asian American teen girls have the highest rates of depressive symptoms of any ethnic and gender group, Southeast Asian Americans experience high stress due to the threat of deportations, and Asian adolescents who face racial discrimination are more likely to experience depressive symptoms. Because of the rise of anti-Asian racism as a result of COVID-19, these symptoms have likely increased.
Voices of Youth
A lot of the times, it feels like people who speak for adolescents and how and why they feel the way they do…aren’t adolescents. While some of this makes sense – therapists and mental health experts for example have the background to explain why adolescents may experience the things they do – it can get frustrating seeing news stories and reports talking about what adolescents are going through without actually talking to them. Continue reading Voices of Youth
The Green Ribbon Library
The Green Ribbon Library is a developing platform designed to give adolescents, parents, caregivers, and more the opportunity to view educational videos on a variety of topics that can impact the mental health of teens and young adults. By watching these short videos about topics such as ADHD, mental health in athletes, cultural differences in mental health, spectrum disorders, viewers can gain insight about how all of these can affect an adolescent’s mental health and how to either cope with or support the adolescents in their lives.
The website even has an ability to create an account so users can save the videos that are most relevant to them and share them with those they feel can benefit as well. You can check out the site here!
Do you use any resources to learn about adolescent mental health? Do you prefer reading or watching to learn? What topics would you like to learn about when it comes to adolescent mental health?
Practicing Radical Self-Care
Self-care has become a term that always pops up when talking about mental health and wellness. The most common image is that of meditating, taking a bath, or doing a face mask. Self-care is so much more than that though. While these moments of nurture are helpful, self-care is a radical act for many as they learn to put their needs, emotions, and well-being first. Continue reading Practicing Radical Self-Care
Tracking Your Sleep with Tech
So, obviously using technology to help one’s sleep doesn’t make much sense. It’s almost a widely accepted known fact that using technology as much as we do can actually damage our sleep habits and patterns, especially when using it in bed and during nighttime. If you or your child haven’t been sleeping that well though, you may need some extra support getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a night. Continue reading Tracking Your Sleep with Tech
An App to Consider: Liberate
Mental health affects everyone differently, but our backgrounds and identities can have us bond over similar experiences and feelings based on our cultures and how others perceive and interact with us. Continue reading An App to Consider: Liberate
Meditation Podcasts
Usually, we listen to podcasts to get some sort of information. It might be the news, entertainment, or education, but whatever kinds of podcasts you listen to (if you do listen to them), you probably do so with the intention of paying attention so you can get something out of it. Continue reading Meditation Podcasts
Helping Your Family Stay Hydrated
As we discussed earlier this week, 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 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