• Sharing – How I Misunderstood the Meaning of Rest

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I say this applies to all forms of self-care because we have a culture that tells us all the time that being productive and getting things done is the entire basis of our value as human beings. Naturally, we look at activities like resting, eating, and other forms of self-care as a necessary part of being productive, but we never see their value on their own. We’re resting because we worked hard during the week or because our bodies are exhausted and need a refresh before returning to it. We eat because we need the calories to burn. We meditate so that we can focus better on our work. We spend time with others to build relationships and extend our network. We read to seem interesting to others.

    We never do things just because we want to.

  • How Are You, Really? And How To Answer, Really

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    Some replies are pithy, witty, and sarcastic, and one is even “meh.” But, what they get at is the underlying fact that answering “good,” “fine,” etc., is not the only way to answer the question. We can be honest with ourselves and each other. We can admit that right now, things are far from great. We can all be a little more human and recognize the struggle of being alive sometimes.

    It won’t hurt us to be more up-front and honest with each other. That’s how you eliminate stigma.

  • The Positive Impacts of Social Media

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    This is the world we live in. Not one where teens would be fine if only they didn’t have social media, but one where teens take to social media to get information about mental health and other issues that they can’t talk to anyone else about. Getting rid of social media for minors will leave a void similar to the one I had growing up, where no one I knew talked about abuse or mental health issues, so I assumed I was the only one dealing with it.

    That’s not a better world. I think a world where minors can access information provided by advocates who educate themselves about the facts and share their own lived experiences is invaluable. That’s what following these accounts can provide.

  • I Need You To Go Read This Collection of Research about Teens and Social Media

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    More importantly, for those of us trying to advocate for mental health, we need to realize that there is no simple answer. Turning off all of social media is not going to cure the mental health crisis. It won’t change everything that is going on in all of our lives and across the world. Pretending that we’d all have much better mental health if we just killed off Instagram or TikTik isn’t going to make the county’s mental health problems go away.

    So why aren’t we discussing the harder problems that have some proven research to show the negative effects on children’s lives? School shootings, violence, racism, oppression of LGTBQ and minorities, poverty, lack of access to mental health care, etc.