Throughout my teenage and adult life, I’ve found nature and working within my community to be a great way to alleviate stress. Exercise can lead to a healthy heart and lessen anxiety due to gaining a higher-level of endorphins, and in the long run, help you feel better about you. Take your friends with or go solo. Some examples of how venturing into the great outdoors may help … [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...]
Work Hard, Nap Hard: A Guide to Balancing Work and College Life
College. stress. These words seem to go hand in hand these days. For those of us who have jobs on top of being full time students, handling stress can become something like a third job. We go to class during the day, go to work at night, and when we get home we frantically scramble to finish our homework just to start everything over the next day, five days a week. The new … [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...]
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...]
Body Over Mind: How Moving Your Body Can Decrease Anxiety and Lift Your Spirits
It’s been a long time since I myself was an anxious teen – over forty years now. Therapy wasn’t a commonly available tool in the seventies, and in my family, the unspoken rule about difficult emotions was not to feel them. So I ate mine. When anxiety roiled up, as it was bound to do in my chaotic and charged family, I soothed myself with globs of peanut butter, handfuls of … [Read more...]
Why You Shouldn’t Hate Yourself for Needing a “Mental Health” Day
No matter who you talk to, we all have had them. Days where we just don’t feel ourselves, even when we don’t feel physically sick. For the average person, this is just a sporadic event that doesn’t typically occur more than once or twice a year. And often times these words are tossed around like confetti, as it is normal for one to crave a day just for themselves. But for … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Help Yourself By Going to Therapy
The topic of therapy can often times be a tricky one. Many feel like it is the “last straw” or the route that you take when your situation becomes uncontrollable. But when it comes to dealing with symptoms of mental illness, often therapy can be one of your best friends and the start to your road to recovery. This negative view is one that I believe is dominating our society … [Read more...]
5 Mid-Year Resolutions to Re-Implement for Self-Care in 2018
It feels like just yesterday we were counting down to the new 2018 year. I was ready to face the new year with a brand new set of resolutions, but this year, it was time to actually keep them. Half what through the year, I'm reminding myself how far I've come and encouraging myself to keep going. Looking after yourself shouldn’t feel like a chore. Self-care is important, but … [Read more...]
AiT Exclusive Interview: Anxiety, Sex Ed and RealTalk with MyHealthEd Co-Founder Cristina Leos
More than any other time, the teenage years are confusing times. This couldn't ring truer when it comes to sexual education: anxiety about pregnancy, STDs, and body changes abound! Fear not- RealTalk is here to help you with all of your innermost questions and concerns. Best of all, the content is youth-led! Join us for an AiT Exclusive interview with MyHealthEd's Co-Founder, … [Read more...]
7 Practical Tips to Manage Your Stress and Anxiety
Life gets stressful! Things start to pile up, you get busy, and sometimes it can get difficult to manage everything going on in your life. As a student, it seems like anxiety and stress are things that just come with the territory. Any yes, that may be partly true, but there are ways to manage this stress and anxiety. I’m going to give you some self-care tips that I try to … [Read more...]
Why You Should Talk to a Therapist
A lot of people are hesitant to talk to a therapist about their struggle with anxiety, depression, OCD, etc. because there's a stigma surrounding seeing a therapist, they are afraid that it won't help or they don't feel comfortable talking to a stranger. These people, however, may not recognize the tremendous benefits that seeking professional help can have. Before I get … [Read more...]
Self-Care: What I Learned About My Closest Friend’s Routine
Self-care. What is it? Why is it needed? How do I show myself self-care? Merriam-webster.com defines self-care as “love as self.” To get a relatable answer to these questions, I decided to interview my close friend Michelle. Before beginning the interview, I was not sure if she knew what self-care entailed and was intrigued to discover her responses! How would you describe … [Read more...]
Acceptance
Accepting that you may have or even do have a mental illness is, in my opinion, one of the hardest things about the illness itself. On the outside, I come across as this girl that has everything together. To my friends, I’m this goofy, funny (or at least I think I am), super outgoing, and happy girl. To my parents, I am involved in everything, smart, have a lot of friends, … [Read more...]
I Am A Strong Woman
I am a strong woman. I could argue that this is the hardest story I have ever written. It is a personal story involving self-discovery, confusion, anger, ignorance, laughter, and last but certainly not least authenticity. I say “authenticity” because I want to be real with you, my reader, and do what I can to paint my story in a way that is helpful. Anxiety took form in … [Read more...]