Blog

February is Black History Month, and I believe it is important to highlight important ideas from Black leaders that support your mental health. The U.S. is and has been made up of the stories of countless individuals who have unique life experiences. Validating someone’s story by honoring their life experience as true-important-and meaningful is essential to-a healthy mature self esteem. You have the power to make someone else know they matter. 

Nationwide, youth age 12 to 19 experience the highest rates of rape and sexual assault.  Studies show that approximately 10% of adolescents report being the victim of physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner during the previous year.  Girls are particularly vulnerable to experiencing violence in their relationships and are more likely to suffer long-term behavioral and health consequences, including suicide attempts, eating disorders, and drug use.

It is important for us not to judge others' reactions to the fear and stress they experience. Everyone is living the ongoing pandemic differently and everyone has different levels of coping. Strive to be more forgiving and open to the differences and needs of others. Together we can move through the difficulties, fears, and anxieties we are experiencing, and with each other's help, we can find hope and healing from this international ongoing pandemic

Being stalked is a frightening and traumatic experience. SPARC reports that stalking victims suffer much higher rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship issues than people in the general population.

According to HumanTraffickingHotline.org, human trafficking can happen to anyone, but we also know that some people may be more vulnerable than others.

A  recent research study has found that over the past two years, as we try to cope with all of the disruptions and changes related to  COVID-19, cell phone and social media use has skyrocketed. Social media is a way to stay in touch with friends and family. Owning and using a mobile phone is almost necessary in our culture with many occupations requiring smartphone accessibility. Sixty-nine percent of adults and 81% of teens use social media–so what does that mean for our brains?

The supermarket might provide the ham for the table and the ribbon to tie up boxes, but a designer purse or an XBox gift card won’t offer our kids the same valuable gifts that will keep hearts happy beyond the New Year.

For many of us, the holidays are a season of peace, joy, gratitude, and family, but reality often looks quite different...Family dysfunction, past trauma, anxiety and other mental illness, loneliness, finances, grief--these are only a few of the stressors that can quickly pile up for anyone during this time of year. For those people living with a substance use disorder, these many stressors may compound and overwhelm the addicted brain and the person in recovery, making it an especially difficult time of year to stay sober.

The way we celebrate the holidays causes stress, current events are stressful, and COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc on our communities’ mental and physical health. Ask yourself… How are you sleeping? Do you feel a sense of panic? Do you have racing thoughts? Are any bad memories replaying themselves? If your answer to any of those questions was yes, your body is having a stress-response to the things that are causing fear or worry in you. While so many of our stressors may be out of our control, we can still be intentional about our exposure to controllable stressors and how we manage our responses to stress. According to the Good News Science Center, repeatedly consuming negative news stories is detrimental to your health. It keeps you in a constant state of alert (stress!), which is damaging to your body. It can lead to distrust and negative feelings about other people and communities.

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and the readiness to show appreciation and return kindness. Harvard Medical School writes, "The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. Gratitude encompasses all of these. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what you receive...tangible or intangible. According to the Greater Good Science Center, "Gratitude allows us to celebrate the present. It helps us appreciate the value of something, and when we appreciate the value of something, we extract more benefits from it; we're less likely to take it for granted. Gratitude allows us to celebrate goodness.”

Research shows that performing acts of kindness positively impacts mental health by increasing the neurotransmitters in the brain that make us feel satisfied and good: Acts of kindness can  increase the hormone that makes us feel connected to each other and helps us trust each other, ”A study in the journal Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science found that people who practiced a-kindness-mindset lowered their stress hormones by 23%. Try practicing random kind actions towards others every day and see what a difference it makes.

Using relaxation skills is a great way to manage anger. Use deep-breathing exercises, repeat a calming-word-or-phrase, like "Take it easy.” Concentrate on a poem, prayer or spiritual writing. Try listening to music, writing in your journal, or do a few yoga poses. When you are angry, learn to apply the discipline of relaxation.