Blog Archives

Winter Is Here And so are cloudy, cold days

12/9/2021

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) occurs during the seasons when the sun doesn’t shine as bright or as often. With many cloudy days around us, chilly weather, and the stress of finals it can be easy to feel overwhelmed or sad. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone!

RECOGNIZING SAD (according to kidshealth.org):

Changes in mood
Negative thinking
Lack of enjoyment
Low energy
Changes in sleep
Changes in eating
Trouble concentrating

How Stress impacts you

acting irritable or moody
withdrawing from activities that used to give you pleasure
routinely expressing worries
complaining more than usual about school
crying
displaying surprising fearful reactions
clinging to a parent or teacher
sleeping too much or too little
eating too much or too little

What can be done at school?

Talk to a support counselor (Room 250!)
Use the outside stairways during passing period to get some fresh air and maybe some sunshine
Give yourself grace and forgiveness
Eat plenty of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits
Communicate with teachers for extra help or time with assignments
Outside of school, have a regular and sufficient sleep schedule.

remember: your value is not dependent on grades!

Stay healthy Chaps,
Katie, Brooke, Chelsey, and Izzy

Procrastination

12/2/2021

Are you pushing off work by reading this blog post? Procrastination is an easy habit to fall into but as finals approach, it’s now more important than ever to stay focused and get our work done early.

Sometimes, we think we are procrastinating because we’re lazy but that’s not the case. Procrastination can be a coping strategy for avoiding negative feelings we may associate with upcoming deadlines. Maybe we’re overwhelmed with our task, we don’t want to be bored, or we’re afraid of doing a bad job. Procrastination feels good in the moment but it eventually increases our stress levels or causes us to feel guilty.

Let’s try to break the procrastination cycle so we can start December with as little stress as possible. Here are some tips to overcome procrastination:

Plan! Use an agenda or Google calendar to schedule times to work on certain assignments.
Make it fun: even if you don’t look forward to getting work done, there are still ways to make it more enjoyable. Have your favorite drink nearby, make sure you’re in comfortable clothes, or call a friend to study with you!
If you don’t want to start studying, check in with yourself: why don’t you want to start? Are you experiencing any of those feelings we addressed earlier? What can we do to resolve those feelings?
Ask yourself: what would help you start? Maybe creating a plan where you outline each step you need to take to complete a project will help, or making yourself study for just 5 minutes.
Keep yourself accountable and ask for help if you need it. If you can’t stay off your phone, put some timers on your apps. If an assignment seems too hard, reach out to your teacher.

It’s important to remember that motivation often comes after action. This is a stressful time but the finish line is approaching; you can always stop by if you need help getting through the end of the semester!

Stay healthy Chaps,
Katie, Brooke, Chelsey, and Izzy

MINDFULNESS

Stress and anxiety are on the rise so it’s important to have healthy, effective ways of managing our mental health. One way to do this is to practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness, or the practice of being fully present without judgement of your experiences, can help you manage your emotions, increase your focus, and reduce your stress. We tend to think about stressful things over and over again, which is why it’s helpful to bring yourself back to this current moment and break that cycle. When you practice mindfulness, you can acknowledge your anxiety without dwelling on it or trying to control your thoughts.

Mindfulness can take only a few minutes a day and you can practice it anywhere, which makes this a good tool for coping with stressors. Here’s a 7-day mindfulness challenge to become more present in the moment:

Mindfulness is a great way to manage your stress but if you need to talk it out, you can always visit us in Suite 250!

Stay healthy Chaps,
Katie, Brooke, Chelsey, and Izzy

PUMPKIN SPICE IS HERE AND SO IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.

What is Teen dating violence?

Teen dating violence is more common than you might know. The CDC reports

1 in 11 female high school students and 1 in 14 male high school students experienced physical dating violence
About 1 in 8 females and 1 in 26 males report experiencing sexual dating violence.

Other forms of dating violence include verbal and psychological abuse.
Social Media, online platforms, digital media, and cell phones has made abuse easier to commit and easier to hide.

Recognizing Teen Dating ViolencE

Do you notice your daughter or son

Spending less time with family and friends?
Excessive text messaging, phone calling, emailing or visiting with their boyfriend or girlfriend
Giving up things that used to be important to her/him?
Starts having declining grades or missing school
Being pressured by a girlfriend/boyfriend about what to do, where to go, or what to wear?
Worried about upsetting her/his boyfriend/girlfriend?
Apologizing or making excuses for her/his boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s behavior?
Has injuries he/she tries to cover up or can’t explain

Talk to your teen about their relationship in an open and safe environment.

Preventing Teen Dating Violence

If at any time you feel that you or your teen are in immediate danger, call 911.
Love is Respect
866-331-9474
866-331-8453 TTY
www.loveisrespect.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline
800-799-SAFE (7233)
800-787-3224 TTY
www.ndvh.org
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) Hotline
800-656-HOPE (4673)
www.rainn.org