Taking a Break

Though people are constantly on their computers, sometimes they need to have a brief distraction from whatever task that they’re currently focusing on, whether to jump start their motivation or calm any stress that the assignment is causing. The reasons we’re working or need a distraction may vary, and just like needing distractions for different reasons, the things people seek out to relax and ease their anxiety differ from person to person.

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Do Notifications Heighten Your Anxiety?

It could be a notification about anything: a text from your child, an email, or a message on Facebook. No matter what it is, getting that alert via vibration and/or ding! can send a wave of brief panic through your body, even if it’s a trivial random news notification about five new recipes to try this week. Continue reading Do Notifications Heighten Your Anxiety?

Why Self-Care Sometimes Isn’t Fun (and that’s a good thing)

At first, “self-care” sounds pretty straightforward. You’re taking care of yourself and doing things that make you feel good about yourself. This is often associated with relaxing and the images of face masks, bath bombs, doing yoga, and reading with a cup of tea. Self-care can also include cleaning out your closet, watching your favorite show when work gets too overwhelming, and, of course, “treating yourself.” Continue reading Why Self-Care Sometimes Isn’t Fun (and that’s a good thing)

Eating Better to Feel Better

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.


“You are what you eat.” We hear the phrase thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? It turns out that what you eat can affect your mood and the structure of your brain. Food is obviously no substitute for medicine when it comes to treating mental illness, but eating well and taking care of your body by exercising and sleeping enough are still incredibly beneficial for those with mental illnesses (and those without!).  Continue reading Eating Better to Feel Better

Finding Motivation For Your Passions

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.


The past few months, I haven’t given any time to writing music, which is something I used to be very passionate about. Music used to be a big coping mechanism for me for dealing with my anxiety. Any negative emotions I felt could easily be expressed through writing a song. Continue reading Finding Motivation For Your Passions

Weekend Viewings: Patriot Act

Satirical political shows are everywhere now. There’s been a recent trend where they zero in on an important, often underrepresented topic and highlight it by going into a lot of detail about the issues the topic is facing and why it’s important to address it. Think of people like John Oliver, who has covered subjects like warehouses and voting machines, or Samantha Bee, who has covered sexual harassment in the animation workplace and whitewashing in museums. Continue reading Weekend Viewings: Patriot Act

Using Social Media at Night

It may be hard for some to remember the last time that they got a proper, full night’s sleep. Schoolwork, jobs, and extracurricular activities are just a few things that can contribute to an adolescent’s hectic and busy schedule. Simply put, there aren’t enough hours in the day for people to do everything that they want, and they often sacrifice the time they should be using sleeping to get everything else done.

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The Benefit of Naps

Yesterday, we talked about the danger of depression naps. However, this isn’t to imply that all naps are bad for you – in fact, they’re incredibly beneficial!

At first, naps can seem like a waste of time if you’re incredibly busy and are seen as a sign of laziness. They may also seem like the only thing your body and mind can do if you’re experiencing a depressive episode and don’t have the strength or motivation to do anything else. Naps are usually seen in a negative light for these reasons if you aren’t a child, despite the fact that they can help you become more alert, improves memory and creative thinking, and can improve your moodContinue reading The Benefit of Naps