Together We Must Imagine Differently and Make It True

Shared Links (weekly) Dec 15, 2024

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  • Sharing – What to Say to the Person with Mental Illness

    You will not go through life never knowing anyone who is dealing with mental health issues. You might go through life never being trusted enough for anyone to tell you about theirs, but educating yourself will go a long way to being useful, and supportive, to the people you care about.

    Seriously, go read it. And save it.

  • Links I’m Sharing (weekly) – June 14, 2020

    Data charges removed for websites supporting victims of crime – Have US carriers done the same? I Am No Longer Allowing My Mental Illness To Tell My I’m Unlovable Moving Past Stigma How Organizations Can Support the Mental Health of Black Employees How can we spot mental illness in men? How Bad is the Stalkerware…

  • Sharing – State Lines Shouldn’t Keep Americans From Getting The Mental Health Help They Need

    That last bit, to me, is really the important part. I’m not saying no one needs proper credentials, and licensing, to offer therapy, but what I am saying is that if the physical location is limiting the ability of people to get care, when we have so many technological tools available to bridge that gap, then something will need to change. 

  • New Research on Social Media and Teen Mental Health

    I think that second quote is really the key. We’ve seen studies that are reported as showing that kids who use social media get more depression and anxiety, but those studies do not address the question of whether there’s any proof that the causality is in that direction and not the other. In other words, do teens who use social media a lot develop depression, or do depressed teens use social media more. This study seems to indicate it’s the latter. As we continue with a lot of social distancing, and activities being canceled and in person gatherings are very limited, we know everyone will be relying more on social media to stay connected, so this is an important question, and I think what this study, and others, really shows us is that there are ways to use social media as a positive influence on our mental health, and a way to use it that will not be a positive influence on our mental health.

    In the physical world, we have these same choices. Do we interact with people who are toxic? Do we spend all of our time comparing ourselves to others? Do we isolate? Or do we find out tribe, our group of supportive friends/family that can interact socially in ways that help our mental health?

    We all make those same choices on social media, but the key difference here is that if we simply don’t choose, and make no effort to make conscious decisions about who we follow and interact with, social network algorithms will make the decision for us. Anyone already struggling with mental health is maybe more likely to not spent much time thinking about these things, and just let the app show them what it wants to show them, and that is not necessarily going to be good for our anxiety. Especially right now.

    So, if you find yourself feeling more anxious, angry, irritated, etc. every time you hop on Twitter or Instagram, maybe instead of just being that way, spend some time thinking about who you follow, and what they are bringing in to your life?

    For any of my social media using readers, can you share some of your favorite positive accounts that you interact with to HELP your mental health?

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    Links I’m Sharing (weekly)

    The Surprising Benefits of Social Connections We Lost Our Son to Suicide. Here’s How We Survived. Why Mental Health Professionals Need Your Help I wish I’d taken my mental health more seriously in grad school You can help someone who is thinking about suicide How to Recognize the Signs of Trauma Bonding Mental health at…

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