Yesterday’s post discussed the worrying lack of resources available for communities when it comes to treating adolescent mental health. The question is thus asked: is there any way that these communities can still help? Continue reading How Schools Train to Recognize Mental Health Symptoms
According to The Guardian, adolescents across the pond are having an extremely difficult time accessing facilities to help with the mental health treatment they need. The majority of children and adolescents with severe mental health issues in England have to travel more than 100 miles away from home to stay in these facilities due to bed shortages in the those closer to them.
While the term itself may be new, staycations are the opportunity to take a break from reality while still living in it. How one specifically defines what a staycation is to them can vary, but so long as it’s somewhere familiar, involves a significantly relaxed pace, and does not involve the everyday routine, it’s a staycation. Continue reading “Staycationing” and Taking a Break
(Trigger warning: suicide)
Last Sunday morning, radios across the country devoted two hours to a candid discussion about mental health and suicide for Suicide Prevention Week.
It’s difficult not to feel even a little jealous when scrolling through our numerous feeds, seeing people we know participating in adventurous activities and hanging out with other people, wishing we could do the same instead of viewing someone else doing so on a screen. FOMO is an all too familiar term, but recently, the fear of missing out has only intensified with the increased use of social media, particularly when it comes to the endless material from YouTube, one of the most popular sites for adolescents.
As one of the more notable symptoms of depression, napping or sleeping for long periods of time can suck time out of the day. Naps during the day mean that the time to do other things is lost, and doing so can make you unable to sleep at night, which makes you tired the next day, and repeat.
Though mental health doesn’t take vacation days like school does, there’s just something about the end of summer that makes times a little more difficult. Of course, there’s returning back to school, but it could also be how it’s the final stretch of intense heat and humidity, and people have almost literally reached their boiling point. There’s the pressure to take advantage of those last few full days of freedom, or the anticipatory anxiety of the 180 that’s taking place in schedules.
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.
I recently stumbled upon this quote, and I’ve been thinking about what it’s saying and wanted to share what I thought of it. 
I feel that many times during a struggle or a time when we are transforming from a hard situation, others can judge.
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.
Lately, I’ve become a bit of a podcast fiend. My first podcast was the popular fictional radio show Welcome to Night Vale, and over the years – particularly in the last few months – I’ve subscribed to all kinds of podcast feeds, including serial fiction, news shows, and writing advice. Continue reading Mental Health Podcasts
In the never-ending debate on the pros and cons of social media, particularly on mental health, there isn’t as much discussion about how social media can be used as an outlet. While it isn’t a replacement for therapy and professional help by any means, social media can help to reassure people about how they’re feeling, whether it be through initial research or talking to other people who are going through the exact same thing.