To Cope With Your Mental Health Pandemic
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To Cope With Your Mental Health Pandemic

Odyssey News

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2 years ago

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To Cope With Your Mental Health Pandemic
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Looking for a change in pace or mindset? These tips to improve your mental wellbeing are for you.

This year has truly impacted everyone’s mental health in every aspect. People of color may have found themselves stressed or discouraged in light of social and racial issues in the United States. Americans have found themselves anxious about the pandemic, the election, and financial uncertainties. So, here are eight ways to improve your mental health and furthermore, your lifestyle amidst this year’s struggles.

1. Stay active.

 

Exercise has many benefits attributed to mental health including reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood while also improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Increased energy and stamina, reduced tiredness, and an increase in mental alertness are also some mental health benefits.

For example, schizophrenia patients who participated in a three-month physical conditioning program showed improvements in weight control, reduced blood pressure, and increased perceived energy levels.

You don’t need to run a marathon to feel the benefits of exercise. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is sufficient for these health benefits. These 30 minutes don’t need to be continuous, either, meaning three 10-minute walks are equally useful as one 30-minute walk!

2. Talk about your feelings.

 

Many people view talking about your feelings as a sign of weakness, but talking about your feelings and having someone actively listen to them can improve your mental health. Having an empathic listener can make you feel supported and less alone, and perhaps by opening up the person you are talking to will do the same.

Whether you’re talking to a therapist, a close friend, a family member, or just journaling, talking to someone you trust can be a step toward having a healthier mind.

3. Eat well.

 

Maybe you don’t want to exercise as much; I get that. According to Dr. Cora, a board-certified psychiatrist, sticking to a diet of healthy food can help set yourself up for fewer mood fluctuations, an overall happier outlook, and an improved ability to focus. Furthermore, unhealthy diets have been linked to an increased risk of dementia or stroke.

A diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oily fish, dairy products, whole grain bread, and plenty of water can benefit your mental health by making you feel better and healthier. You are what you eat, and if you try eating healthy foods, perhaps you’ll have a healthier mind!

4. Take a break.

 

As we continue through the holidays and finals season, taking a break by a change of scene or a change of pace can be great for your mental health. From a 15-minute break from being with your family to a 30-minute break from studying for exams, taking a break can give you time to de-stress and refocus.

A key to this tip is listening to your body. If you’re feeling hungry, maybe taking a snack break would be best. If you’re stressed, go for some yoga or meditation. My personal favorite yoga instructor is Yoga With Adriene, who focuses on meditation and mindfulness as well. If you’re feeling tired, try taking a nap. Without a good amount of sleep, our mental health can suffer and our concentration especially can go downhill fast.

5. Ask for help.

 

Outside of talking to those you trust, there are many local services that are also able to give you the help you might need. Examples of these services include joining a support group to help make beneficial changes to your life, finding a counselor to help you make a new start, or visiting a Citizens Advice Bureau if you need advice on debt.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline handles many crises, not just serious ones. The Trevor Project‘s LGBTQ-focused helpline is also beneficial, as well as the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses‘ hotline, and the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

Mental health continues to have a strong stigma attached to it worldwide, so it’s understandable if you’re feeling nervous or scared to reach out. By asking for help, you’re already taking a big step of significant courage and bravery.

6. Do something you’re good at.

 

Enjoying yourself can be a key part of beating stress and boosting your self-esteem. Concentrating on one of your favorite activities such as jogging or playing board games can help you forget your worries and change your mood for the better.

Participating in something creative like drawing or painting can help you express yourself creatively. Doing something active and social such as rock climbing or playing football with friends gets you both active (Tip #1!) and gives you the opportunity to meet new people.

7. Care for others.

 

With the skills mentioned above, perhaps volunteering for a local charity or organization might be for you! Helping others can make us feel needed and valued. Helping your loved ones or caring for a pet can improve your mental health too. Volunteering can help us see the world differently and therefore put our own problems in perspective.

Taking care of a pet more specifically can bring structure to your day and benefit your social life as many fellow dog walkers tend to chat. My personal favorite volunteering activity is working with puppies who are training to be service dogs at my college.

8. Keep in touch.

 

Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you through many aspects of life and help you develop a healthy mindset. They can help you feel included and cared for, as well as keeping you grounded and provide help in solving practical problems.

Giving someone a call or shooting a quick text will keep lines of communication open and build these relationships further. If you have been feeling distanced from your loved ones during COVID-19, maybe reaching out with a phone call could build your relationship up again.

Conversely, if you think someone is damaging your mental health, it would be beneficial to take a break from them or even end the relationship if it feels that bad.

Whether you’re feeling stressed from feeling cramped in your home during quarantine or feeling tired from studying for exams, there’s something for everyone in relation to having better mental health.

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A Day Without Screens: Uncovering Me, Myself, & iPhone

Odyssey News

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1 month ago

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May 2, 2023

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A vital journey for our generation.

It was a dark and stormy night, and I glanced at the time on my phone once more before laying it face down on the nightstand, never to be looked at again—well, for the next twenty-four hours at least.

A few weeks ago, I set off on a mission to see what life was like outside the confines of my tiny little screen. Although I’d like to say that this mission was born of my own conviction, I can’t claim that kind of self-driven will power. A day without screens was an assignment for my Media Studies course, and one that I was anxious to see unfold; I know my relationship with my phone is unhealthy, but I was eager to learn the extent of my reliance.

 

When the sacred day came, I expected mild boredom or withdrawal…

…what I got instead were intense feelings of detachment from the world around me (quite delectably coupled with the boredom and withdrawal of course).

I decided to let to morning wake me up naturally instead of going to buy some old fashioned alarm clock beforehand. When the sun peeked through my blinds, I immediately shrugged it off on account of it being a bit too early in my mind. This exchange between me and the sun happened two or three more times before I finally decided to crawl out of bed. With no concept of time and no idea what any of my friends were up to, I walked to the dining hall. The only things that greeted my arrival were my friends’ bewildered stares and the lone analog clock screaming two o’clock in the afternoon—they had just stopped serving lunch.

The rest of my day continued in a sluggish fashion. I avoided the screens of my friends as they crowded around them to laugh at some tweet or video. I crouched over my homework all day, not sure what else to do with my time. After my friends left, I sat in solitude just waiting for them to come back for me and tell me what the plan was for the night. My only companion was that taunting analog clock, the closest thing to modern technology I was going to get. Every tick of that clock was a lifetime as I itched for reunification with the other half of my heart.

And when that day was finally over, I jumped into bed like a kid on Christmas Eve. After I awoke the next morning to greet my phone in stark contrast to the way I had previously greeted the sun, that’s when my mind truly began to race. How did my reliance get so bad? Why did I feel like gravity had been ripped out from under me and I was floating through space and time? All the current events and tweets that I missed—do they really matter? Have I given inconsequential things meaning in my life that have no actual relevance to the actual wellbeing of my person?

 

All those thoughts and more tossed and turned in my head like a tumultuous storm at sea. But as the next days unraveled and I fell back into my usual routine, they passed as storms always do. I’m on my phone just as much as I always have been. I only think about that day every once in a while…but I think every once in a while might be a good enough place to start.

 

Phones aren’t going anywhere, so there is no use in trying to expel them from my life. However, my generation has so much of their identity tied up in their social media presence and the relationships and abilities that are heightened by technology. Phones were designed to complement daily lives, not conquer them; while I still may attempting to calm that constant clash for control in my life, at least I’m doing something.

My day without screens didn’t give me the solutions to the problems, but it did open my eyes to what some of the problems actually are. I can’t fix culture, but I can fix myself, and if I want to have a healthy relationship with me, myself, and I, then I’m going to need to have a healthy relationship with my iPhone as well.

 

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Ramen, Japan

Madison Franz

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1 month ago

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April 30, 2023

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Ramen is a popular Japanese dish that consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a flavorful broth, typically topped with various ingredients such as sliced pork, green onions, seaweed, eggs, and bamboo shoots.  It has become a beloved and iconic part of Japanese cuisine.

Ramen originated in China and was introduced to Japan in the late 19th century. Over time, it underwent significant modifications and adaptations to suit Japanese tastes, leading to the development of various regional styles and flavors. Today, ramen is enjoyed throughout Japan and has gained international popularity as well.

Each region in Japan has its own distinct style of ramen, characterized by differences in the broth, noodles, and toppings. Some of the most well-known ramen styles include:

1. Tokyo Ramen (Shoyu Ramen): This style features a soy sauce-based broth that is typically clear and light. The noodles are thin and firm, and the toppings may include chashu (sliced pork), menma (fermented bamboo shoots), and nori (seaweed).

2. Sapporo Ramen (Miso Ramen): Originating from the northern city of Sapporo, this style features a rich and hearty miso-based broth. The noodles are usually thick and curly, and the toppings often include butter, corn, and bean sprouts.

3. Hakata Ramen (Tonkotsu Ramen): Hailing from the southern city of Fukuoka, Hakata Ramen is known for its creamy and milky tonkotsu (pork bone) broth. The noodles are thin and firm, and the toppings commonly include sliced pork belly, green onions, and pickled ginger.

4. Kitakata Ramen: This style comes from the city of Kitakata and is characterized by its soy sauce-based broth that has a slightly sweet and salty flavor. The noodles are thick, flat, and curly, and the toppings often include chashu, menma, and green onions.

These are just a few examples, and there are many more regional variations of ramen across Japan. Ramen shops, known as ramen-ya, can be found throughout the country, ranging from small local establishments to large chains. People often line up to enjoy a steaming bowl of ramen, especially during colder months.

Ramen has also gained global popularity, and you can find ramen restaurants in many major cities around the world. It has become a culinary symbol of Japanese cuisine, loved for its comforting and delicious flavors.

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5 Things I Need You To Know About My ADHD

Odyssey News

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2 months ago

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April 17, 2023

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There’s a lot of stigma around ADHD and it needs to go.

I must say, from an outsider’s perspective, I can see how some people may not believe that I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I am the last person to fit the stereotype of the little impulsive five-year-old boy that many people associate with ADHD. Nevertheless, I am affected by the same condition and would like to clarify how it affects me so that others may understand me better.

1. My ADHD doesn’t mean I don’t have a competent attention span

In fact, it isn’t a deficit of attention as much as I would describe it as a malfunction of attention. Attention can be defined as the brain’s ability to concentrate on a particular phenomenon and exclude all others. To say that I can’t keep attention, would be misleading, as many people who have ADHD also experience “hyperfocus” on certain topics. Typically, these topics are ones in which I am more engaged and interested in. With that being said, please understand I also did not choose to engage in these subjects much like how I did not choose to not engage in the others. The problem isn’t that I don’t have attention, but rather, I don’t get to regulate when I apply my attention and what I apply it on.

2. My ADHD is a ubiquitous part of my life

A commonly held notion is that ADHD only affects the ability to concentrate in a school setting. For me, however, it affects much more. It affects how I think, how I act, my daily conversations, what I worry about, how much I worry, the intensity of my emotions, my ability to plan, my awareness of how others perceive me, and it contributes to my feelings of exclusion. My ADHD is ultimately a part of me and plays a role in all that I do. With that being said, my ADHD comes with more positive traits as well: creativity, innovative thinking, empathy, sensitivity, compassion, and passion. Each of these play a role in how I interact and respond in various situations with all types of people on my daily life.

3. My ADHD is not a result of a lack of discipline

My ADHD is not a result of my not trying hard enough. It is not a result of my parents’ neglect to discipline me. In fact, I feel it makes me and many others with ADHD quite the opposite. Me personally, I find that I have to work three times as hard as the majority of my peers to get simple tasks done. One of the most frustrating assumptions is that the accommodations I get on tests gives me an unfair advantage. I think this is partly fueled by a misunderstanding of the seriousness of the condition and the abuse some people have taken of the accommodation system. It bothers me, as a person who genuinely struggles with the implications of ADHD, that there have been many people to fake the condition in order to illegally take and sell drugs or to take advantage of the accommodation system in order to perform better on tests.

Even with the extra time I have, I still have to work incredibly hard. Just because I have extra time, does not mean that suddenly all my problems go away. I spend time and a half longer than everyone else combatting my busy mind and rereading the questions several times until I can direct my attention to what they mean, to answer a multiple-choice exam. ADHD makes reading a lot more difficult for me. My difficulty being able to concentrate on the words I am reading contributes to anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed by large amounts of words on a page. As a result, it is very difficult, even with extra time, to perform to what I feel my potential should be on tests.

4. My ADHD does not define my success nor my intelligence

When I am having a conversation with someone, it may appear that I forget what I am talking about because I am mindless and get distracted by something completely unrelated. This is not true, however, as I frequently am distracted because I am reminded of a topic that is related in some way. The connection is typically small and the whole process happens so quickly in my mind. For this reason, I am quite creative and typically excel in tasks that require imaginative thinking. While ADHD affects my mind in some ways that make things a little more difficult, it does not affect my intelligence as a whole. Better put, it affects the means in which I learn. I have been able to succeed in magnet programs throughout my life, the International Baccalaureate program in high school, and balance various activities and clubs, some of which I took leadership roles in.

5. Judging my condition does NOT help anything

I feel like I can not talk about my ADHD without being heavily judged or misunderstood. This stereotype threat in itself has been shown, in many studies to impact performance, allowing the stereotype to live. In my personal experience, my own stress due to the feeling I can not communicate my ADHD comfortably heightens my social anxiety when talking to others, contributes to low self-esteem, and contributes to bouts of depression.

In short, we can do a lot better than this. We need to fight the stereotype and have empathy for individuals who have unique experiences, even if we do not share the same ones. Stop assuming everyone fits the statistic or is exactly like you. Celebrate diversity and make the effort to ask and listen to what individuals are feeling and experiencing.

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