The transition to college brings a lot of “new” for students. For many, it’s the first time independently managing their own money and schedule and making decisions about nutrition, sleep, exercise, etc. without the structure of family or high school activities. But, one aspect of “new” we sometimes don’t think about or adequately prepare students […]
Welcome to January, aka mental wellness month! In honor of this, we will look briefly at the historical focus on mental illness to modern prevention through mental wellness practices. To begin, consider common responses to problems in nearly all fields. Early efforts are usually focused on finding ways to fix them: But, in response to […]
A couple of years ago, Academy-award-winning actress and philanthropist Viola Davis shared an image by @haleydrewthis on Instagram. In the image, an anthropomorphized scribble with legs, arms, and wide eyes is labeled “my anxiety.” In the adjacent picture, it is the same scribble but with Christmas lights, labeled “my anxiety in December.” The picture is adorable […]
Today we will take an alternative look at what it means to end the semester “well.” At first, this may feel like an achievement-related question. How can I end with the highest grade? Working the hardest? Sliding into my last final having expended the last of my human-ness so I can collapse into bed immediately […]
Years ago, I had a friend who was facing a very difficult time. Her marriage was struggling, and she was also having some challenges at work. As we sat together, she would share a bit of what was bothering her, stop, apologize, say something like, “But other people have it so much worse than I […]
At the end of October, with all of the spooky themes and Halloween fun, it seemed like a good time to talk about dreams, nightmares, and how sleep plays into our mental health. It is generally recommended that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. During the time we are asleep, […]
Election season. It’s a lot. The convergence of many factors in the 21st century has contributed to a rise in election-related stress and anxiety. Since 2016, regardless of party affiliation, over half of Americans have reported elevated anxiety, stress, fear, sleeplessness, etc. related to presidential elections. Although not a comprehensive list, some contributors to this […]
Beginning in 1992, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated October 10th as “World Mental Health Day.” As with many prevention efforts, a unique theme or focus is chosen each year. Past themes have ranged from broader measures such as inclusion and equality to more focused topics such as young people and mental health, mental health […]
Suicide Prevention Month comes with a lot of public health information on suicide prevention as well as statistics and education about new resources aimed at reducing the incidence of suicide. However, despite best efforts, sometimes we still lose people. As the twelfth leading cause of death in the general population, the second for people aged 10-14 and […]
College is a time often full of “mistakes.” At least, that is what the media portrays and how many of us think about some of the things we did during those years. But, what if we framed that conversation differently? What if some things are mistakes but, many more are a reflection of the developmental […]