Mental Health

Teenage years are a time of immense physical and emotional change, which can lead to teens feeling pressure to fit in and have low self-esteem due to social comparison. It is important to help teens develop healthy self-concept to navigate these challenges.
 
Transcript: "So teenage years are a time of pretty serious and immense change and growth, both physically and emotionally. And during this time, young people have a tendency to experience a range of challenges, such as increased academic pressure, social pressure to fit in, hormonal changes that can affect mood and emotional changes that can contribute to low self-esteem in teens. So when we look at social comparisons, that's a common occurrence that many adolescents are faced with, and it can lead to negative self-evaluation when teens perceive themselves to fall short of their peers' accomplishments or appearance. Additionally, adolescents, you know, this is a time of developing identity, and individuals may fear unsure about who they are or what they want to be, which can lead to feelings of self-doubt and low self-esteem. So it's important to help teens navigate these challenges and develop healthy self-concept."

To prevent relapse, stay engaged in recovery-oriented activities, be aware of the stages of relapse and take appropriate actions to address them, prioritize self-care, seek help when feeling overwhelmed, triggers or any one of those things, be honest with yourself and identify any maladaptive habits.
 
Transcript: "Hi, so what steps can people take to prevent relapse if they've been in recovery for a while? I'd say the first thing is staying engaged in recovery-oriented activities. Be aware of the stages of relapse. Those are very important when it comes to emotional signs. You want to pay attention to that. What does it look like, whether it's mental, those physical relapse. And taking appropriate actions to address them. Self-care. We've got to prioritize self-care. It's so essential, eating healthy, dieting, sleeping, taking your medications, seeking help when you're feeling overwhelmed, triggers, any one of those things. You want to seek help right away. Don't wait until it's about to burst. Be honest. Honesty is so important and key. With yourself, it plays a role. I'm not feeling good. I'm feeling more triggered. Identify that. Adhere to the rules and structure and then modify maladaptive habits. Hopefully that answered the question."

To help someone stay sober, identify triggers, develop stress management skills, promote healthy living, build a strong support network, encourage participation in recovery activities, celebrate their milestones and achievements in recovery, and be there to support them.
 
Transcript: "So do you have any tips for helping someone stay sober? Absolutely. First is identify the triggers. Is it emotional? Is it relationship? Is it financial? Basically whatever the trigger might be, let's identify it and address it. Develop stress management skills, stress management skills such as yoga, you know, meditation, you know, breathing exercises, nature walks, this could be very helpful. Promote healthy living, you know, nutrition is very key. Quality sleep is important. You want to build a strong support network. That is a really good way to help the patients, you know, who get sober. Encourage participation in recovery activities. That's very important. Celebrate with them their milestones, with their achievements in recovery. These are really key things. And a lot of times they might have pain. So kind of be there to support them, to prevent them from actually going to use substances when they're having those discomforts. Thank you."

Deep breathing or “paste breathing” is a great way to build a habit of managing anxiety. It can be done in the morning, middle of the day, and right before bed. There are also apps that remind you to take a deep breath at random times throughout the day.
 
Transcript: "I conceptualize paste breathing or deep breathing as a way to build a habit. And by that, I mean, it's typically more effective what we see or what we, we tend to anecdotally experience is to build a new habit in a moment when I'm calm. And so I love when people start talking about proactively managing anxiety ahead of the anxious moment, right? Because that might be something that I can't control or I might not even know when the anxious moment is going to be. So as a result, if you're building something into like a daily routine, make a habit out of it. So this is once in the morning, I'm gonna do five deep breaths. Once in the middle of my day, I'm gonna do five deep breaths or perhaps I'm going to do five deep breaths right before I go to bed or all three of those. There's also apps out there, feel free to pick one. Uh It always tickles me when I hear them out in public. It's a, a bell ringing or a ding and it's a particular chime that I, I know now because I know about these apps and it reminds you to take a deep breath. So the app will make recommendations just based on random times throughout the day. And when you hear that particular chime coming from your phone, for people that are able to do that, then they know to take a deep breath. So that always makes me smile when I see when I hear that if I'm just out in public somewhere."

People with abandonment issues can feel unworthy of love and attention, leading to depression and anxiety. Therapy and support can help individuals address the issue and lead to improved quality of life.
 
Transcript: "Abandonment issues can have significant impact on one's behavior leading to a range of difficulties in relationships and even in daily life. People with abandonment issues have a tendency to struggle with trust, fear of rejection, deep sense of insecurities, and other negative experiences. And so they may feel unworthy of love and attention which oftentimes can manifest itself as jealousy or possessiveness or clinginess in relationships. So when we're talking about individuals with abandonment issues, as a mental health counselor for me it's important to for a person to understand that this can also lead to depression and anxiety and because individuals may worry about being abandoned or being rejected. So therapy and support can certainly help individuals who struggle with abandonment issues and can improve one's quality of life when we really address these issues."

Self concept, self worth and self respect are all important components of an individual's overall sense of self. Self concept refers to an individual's beliefs and perceptions about themselves, while self worth is their perceived value, and self respect is based on their personal values and how they treat themselves and others.
 
Transcript: "Self-concept, self-worth, and self-respect are all important components of an individual's overall sense of self. However, they are distinct concepts that differ in their meaning and how they relate to a person's self-image. So, self-concept more specifically refers to an individual's beliefs and perceptions about themselves. And that would include their personality, abilities, and characteristics. I think it's essential to note that when we understand who we are as individuals, our self-concept can increase. We can develop positive self-concept. Self-worth refers to an individual's sense of value and worthiness as a person. And it's often based on an individual's perceived successes, achievements, and recognition. Self-respect, on the other hand, refers to an individual's sense of dignity and worthiness. And so, what that means is it's based on an individual's personal values and their beliefs about who they are, including their moral compass, and how they treat themselves and treat others. So, when we're talking about self-concept, that's how a person defines themselves. Self-worth is their perceived value, and self-respect is based on their personal values and how they treat themselves and others."