We previously wrote an article that featured “12 Breathtaking Photos Show What It’s Really Like To Have General Anxiety Disorder.” Now, we recently found an interesting article about whether Instagram photos can offer clues about depression. According to the article:
We previously shared an article with teens about talking to their parents. However, we realize that talking with your teen can be just as tough for parents as it is for teenagers. Therefore, we thought we would put together some suggestions for talking with your child and request your feedback!
Some pointers we think can work for you to start a conversation as a parent are:
Here is a wonderfully short video on understanding the difference between empathy and sympathy.
Sometimes it can be hard to concentrate on the task at hand. And it has been shown that music can be calming, relaxing, and useful to help tune out the world and focus. However, not all music is created the same for each listener, and the type of music matters. According to an article published by The Guardian “music you like increases focus, while music you don’t impedes (or disrupts) it.” Read more from this article and other articles on the benefits of music by visiting the following links:
Communication is a big part of our lives and effective communication allows us 
to have successful relationships. Verbal communication is the sounds and words (or speech) we use when talking with another person or group. There is also non-verbal communication. You may be aware of the importance of non-verbal communication – the expressions of our face, hand movements, eye contact, how we stand, tone of our voice.
However, since the internet and rise of social networking, a lot of our conversations have moved online. This shift can make it difficult to accurately express ourselves when communicating with someone through our smartphone or computer. However, the creation of emojis has helped us show our emotions and feelings when we are not having a face-to-face conversation with someone. According to a study, nearly 80% of study participants used emojis when texting and 76% used them when on Facebook. Continue reading What do your emojis say about you
We recently posted about the back-to-school transition that is upon us. We also wrote an article a little while ago about the transition year. However, as this is such an important topic, we wanted to expand on it slightly. One of our favorite YouTubers, Kati Morton, recently posted a video about going off to college and how to manage your mental health. And while her tips are about leaving for university, we think a lot of them are adaptable. For example, Kati recommends having your child contact their school ahead of time (before the start of the school year) so they (and you) can get to know their teachers or professors, guidance counselor, adviser, etc.
Continue reading Off to University … How to Manage your Mental Health
In interviews I did with adolescents who have depression and were in treatment, some of them said that at first, they didn’t want to go to therapy because they didn’t feel like they deserved to get better. This was so sad to me because guilt and shame like feeling like you don’t deserve something are actually symptoms of depression.
The fact that they were feeling that way is exactly why they needed to get help. Because they felt they are bad. But they are not bad. They needed some help to feel better and feel that their life is worth living.
Continue reading Because I didn’t feel like I deserve to get better
Check out this music video! It’s part of a mental health initiative and shares some responses of what inspires hope in others. Continue reading Hope
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) starts out by writing:
You are not alone. There are ways you can feel better.
The NIMH has a lot of great educational information on their website, as well as resources, statistics, and community outreach. They have a whole page dedicated to teen depression. In addition, they have information about depression and college students. Information, like the material included on NIMH’s website, is extremely important for a lot of different reasons.
One of those reasons is because, according to a cover story on TIME.com:
Anxiety and depression in high school kids have been on the rise since 2012 after several years of stability. It spreads across across all demographics–suburban, urban and rural; those who are college bound and those who aren’t. Family financial stress can make the issues worse, and studies show that girls are more at risk than boys.
