 Even before the pandemic, being a teenager was tough. Between working out their identity, forming relationships with others, and juggling school, work, and hobbies, teens have a lot on their plates as it is. Add a global pandemic on top of all of that, and it isn’t hard to see why teens have been struggling more than ever. Between increased feelings of isolation, anxiety, and Covid-driven changes in our interactions with others, 38% of Gen Z have said that their mental health has gotten worse since the pandemic started. If you’re a teenager, or if you have a teen who is struggling, here are some ways that therapy can help.
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Let’s talk about self-diagnosis! I know there’s been a lot of talk about this on social media and I wanted to put in my two cents. There are lots of pros and cons with self-diagnosis.
Dating is really hard! I hear this from people I work with, friends, family members, etc. It’s a really difficult endeavor. I want to talk about some of the reasons why.
See also: Healing Relationship Patterns with Laurel Roberts-Meese and Hadley Davis. There’s a lot of harmful misuse of therapeutic and psychological terms out there. [It’s] no one’s fault in particular, but one of the things I love doing is to educate and let people know what a term that they’ve heard before actually means. So I wanted to talk about the term OCD today. A lot of people throw this term around when someone is particular about how they like their space or how they like things lined up… and those that may be an indication of OCD. But most of the time, in the way it’s used colloquially, it’s not actually OCD.
There’s no question that we have really complicated relationships with our cell phones. So much of how we manage our everyday lives is tied to this little device that we have, and sometimes in really wonderful ways. Being able to communicate with loved ones, being able to share pictures, funny moments, tragic moments; I think that overall phones are a net positive.
Transcript:
Hey, I’m Laurel, I’m a licensed therapist, and the other day someone asked me a great question. Why do people like scary movies? We’re coming up on Halloween, so I thought it was a cool question to answer. Laurel guides you through a quick, accessible mindfulness exercise for when you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or panicked.
 Many of us want to make healthy lifestyle changes to facilitate better mental health. Whether you want to get into a consistent fitness routine, eat more nutritiously, sleep better, or decrease your substance intake, it can feel overwhelming to start. Maybe you’re great at starting, but struggle to maintain. Here are four tips that are backed by science to help you make and stick to a new healthy habit.
Transcript:
I wanted to do a quick video today on what to do when you’re freaking out. You can do this anytime if you notice your anxiety is really high… and either you’re feeling too much, or you may feel like you’re not quite all there. Some of us check out a little bit when we’re overwhelmed. It’s totally normal for that to happen. Here’s a way to get yourself back kind of down into what we call the Window Of Tolerance.  I created this short mindfulness audio as a holiday/end of year offering to anyone out there who might need it.
If you're new to mindfulness or you've thought about getting into meditation but it seems a little overwhelming, this is a good place to start.  Everyone’s anxiety has gone up this year, and with good reason. We’re all facing new and intensifying stressors, while having limited access to ways we may have previously coped well. Here are some ideas for things you can try right now, whether your anxiety is at a 3 or a 10:
1) Breathe and recognize your anxiety is not an emergency or something to “fix” right in this moment. Often our anxiety is a physiological arousal linked to a threat, however realistic, exaggerated, removed, or unconscious. Try thinking of whatever body sensations you’re experiencing as information that is neither good nor bad. Get curious and compassionate with yourself, and remind yourself that you don’t have to take action immediately unless you or a loved one is in physical danger. 2) Try progressive muscle relaxation. It’s free, simple, and has been shown in some academic studies to reduce anxiety as affectively as medication when done routinely. If you don’t have time to do the full body routine, trying clenching your hands, shoulders, or the back of your legs as hard as you can and holding for ten seconds before releasing. 3) Eliminate unnecessary stimuli. This may be obvious things like noise or light, but could also be the presence of your phone, visual clutter, or that nagging feeling that you need to do the dishes. Sometimes a small change in your environment can have a big positive impact on your mood. A Conversation Between Caleb Birkhoff, LMFT, and Laurel Roberts-Meese, LMFT
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