For me, mid-October to early-January is terrifying. Absolutely petrifying. There’s Halloween and Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, and that’s not even counting the pumpkin-spiced-everything and the sudden increase in carb-heavy foods as the weather gets colder. But I’ve spent too many autumns hiding in big sweaters and pretending I’m “just not hungry”. I can’t be the … [Read more...]
Going To Therapy for The First Time: 3 Different Experiences
Let’s face it: sometimes it’s difficult to clue your family or even some of your closest friends in during times of great stress or turmoil. Perhaps you may have reason to believe your loved ones will misunderstand you, or maybe you would feel more comfortable talking to someone who isn’t involved in your situation. Whatever your reason is, it’s perfectly okay to reach out for … [Read more...]
Small Goals to Ease Depression
From my own experience, I know that depression and anxiety can be downright tiring. Oftentimes you might just want to stay at home or curled up in bed in order to avoid potentially distressing situations. Your energy and motivation might be low and the day feels utterly hopeless. Because of this, doing anything to make yourself feel better or get some relief from the … [Read more...]
Listen, Sharing & Comparing: Advice for Parents on How to Help Their Teens with a Mental Health Disorder
This week I want to give some guidance to parents whose children are dealing with mental health problems, how to approach them and help them cope. I think it is interesting to talk about it from my point of view, because the depression and eating disorders that I’ve had my family isn’t really aware of even now, since I never managed to tell them the truth. I was always too … [Read more...]
Therapy Tips: Advice for Teens and Parents to Make Therapy a Smashing Success
Tips for Teens: You’ve made it this far. Chances are, if you’ve stumbled across this article, you are either considering or already in therapy. I just have to stop here for a second to say what an epic achievement you’ve already made. The fact that you are reading this article alone says great things about how far you have come. Seeking help is something to be proud. Trust … [Read more...]
4 Steps Toward Positive Body Image
Body image is something I have struggled with for many years. I have gone through phases of obsessing to letting go and back to being obsessed. During high school it was the worst, the thought of body image never left my mind and that is not an exaggeration. Body image is such a hard thing to deal with because the thoughts are so incredibly powerful. Every time I would eat … [Read more...]
My Story: Writing About Mental Illness Heals Me
While there could be a whole tome the size of the DSM to chronicle all the mental illness-tinged happenings in the life of Mary L. Sukala, that, to me, speaks as much to who I am as the fact that I weighed less than three pounds when I was born (another story for another day--I’m a preemie and triplet). It’s my medical history, nothing more. So for this piece, I’m zeroing in on … [Read more...]
LABELS, LABELS, LABELS: How I Feel About Mental Health Diagnoses
Personally, I have conflicting feelings about labelling mental health conditions. On the one hand, mental health conditions are health conditions - they have signs and symptoms, medications, and health risks. How can you expect to treat a health condition if it remains a nameless entity? What’s more, labelling it can offer a sense of closure and community - finally, you are … [Read more...]
The Link Between Exercise and Mental Health: A Psychologist and Marathoner’s Perspective
By: Melissa Tanner, Ph.D., Guest Contributor Exercise can have a profound impact on mental health, in a variety of different ways. There are the obvious ways, such as the famed “runner’s high,” which refers to the euphoric sensation caused by endorphins released after strenuous physical activity. Exercise can also promote a regular sleep schedule, which is crucial to mental … [Read more...]
What to Say (And What Not to Say) to Someone with a Mental Illness
Despite the prevalence of mental illness in our society, it’s still incredibly misjudged, and because there is such limited public understanding, there are countless myths and stereotypes penetrating our thoughts, behaviors, and discourse. The truth is, the way we talk about mental illness perpetuates stigma and negative stereotypes, and can be detrimental to those vulnerable … [Read more...]
Parenting a Teen with Mental Illness: A Parent’s Grief
What is the hardest thing about parenting children with mental illness? Some things are harder in the moment, while other things are harder to bear over time. For parents like myself whose struggling children do not respond to treatment and/or accommodations relatively quickly, ambiguous grief can be especially devastating. Precious childhoods are lost forever to endless … [Read more...]
A SAD Story: Seasonal Affective Disorder
When I first moved to Minneapolis from California, my boyfriend who has been living here for most of his life warned me about something that can start to happen when the days get shorter and colder. SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, is a type of depression that can come and go just like the seasons themselves, and it is much more common to develop SAD when living in an area … [Read more...]
What is Therapy and Why Should I Go? An Interview from Three Different Perspectives
I’ve always been interested in learning more about therapy and counseling. What it is, how people feel venting to a professional to help them, and the benefits of it. I believe that, in a way, it coincides with self-care. But it wasn’t until college that I decided I wanted to delve into the world of psychology and therapy. While I studied Communications in college, I took a … [Read more...]
9 Key Points When Finding a Therapist for Your College Kid
“Hey, do you know of any good therapists near campus?” That was the gist of an email I received from my friend Kate, whose child, a freshman, will be attending college with my daughter—on the other coast of the U.S. I wrote back: “You’re in luck, sugar!” attaching a file I’d put together two years ago, when we flew cross-country to deliver our daughter Grace to her new … [Read more...]
3 Steps to Managing the Transition to College
College life is a very big transition for many students. Especially those who are already dealing with other life problems, like a mental health disorder. Trying to learn how to live and navigate on your own can take awhile. For our whole lives, many of us have lived with our parents' support. Now, in an instant, we are out on our own, away from home. We will come across some … [Read more...]