Simone Biles Focusing on Mental Wellbeing
4-time Olympic gold medallist, Simone Biles, has spent years perfecting her physical fitness to become one of the best gymnasts of her time. Now, she is working on her mental fitness as well.
Biles said that she has spent so much time working on her physical self, that she is now using this time to focus on her mental wellbeing, self-care, and feeding her mind with lots of positive thoughts.
Self-care is something, Biles admits, that may have previously been lacking from her daily routine.
“Taking time for myself is so important,” says Biles. “I’m a worrier so I try to take care of others before myself. So taking time to myself has been really nice and I think I will be taking that into 2021.”Source
Kids Want to Learn More About Mental Illness and How to Cope with Parents Who Live with It
One in five teens has a parent with a mental illness such as anxiety or depression.
These teens often don’t have access to accurate information about mental health conditions and how to respond to stigmas. In fact, several studies have revealed that young people do not receive sufficient information – at home, school, or online – about mental health.
Studies also show that kids want to help their parents. One study found that children who know their parents take psychotropic medication had an interest in knowing more about the medication purpose, regime, and side effects.
While there is information to be found, most of it is written for those above a 6th-grade reading level, making it inaccessible to many young people. Furthermore, most countries – including the U.S. – do not have online resources addressing the needs of children of parents with mental illness.
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Pie eating competition sends a serious message on mental health & teen suicide
Student-athletes in the Chicago area hosted a pie eating contest to raise awareness about depressions and suicide.
The event also raised $1,000 which was donated to mental health non-profits and clinical services.
After the pie-eating contest, several students shared their experiences with mental health struggles
The theme of the day was that students should not be ashamed to seek help if they are having emotional problems.
Teens with negative body image may experience depression as adults, study finds
Negative body image can threaten mental health, according to new research that found teenagers who were dissatisfied with their bodies tended to experience depression as adults.
Studies also show that up to 61% of adolescents have reported experiencing body dissatisfaction to some extent, documenting a trend that has increased alongside the social media boom.
Another study found that both teenage girls and boys were mildly satisfied with their bodies overall, but girls tended to be more dissatisfied than boys. Weight and figure were the most common areas of distress: At 14, 32% of girls and 14% of boys were dissatisfied with their weight. More than 27% of girls and nearly 14% of boys were unhappy with their figure.
Teen dies by suicide after struggling to cope with the pandemic
A father in Maine wants to shed some light on how the coronavirus pandemic may be affecting the mental health of young people after his 16-year-old son died by suicide on Friday.
Jay Smith said his son, Spencer Smith was upset because his football season and other school activities were canceled.
When this happened, Spenser lost his motivation to work out and his grades began to suffer as he grappled with remote learning.
The Smith family wanted to share his son’s story to let other teenagers know that there is help and to reach out for help if they are feeling alone and depressed.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
