Grace H
Grace H
on
I’ve written a lot of pieces in the past about coping mechanisms and hobbies, but one of my favorite hobbies is reading. Seeing yourself represented in a book can be powerful—it’s often something you didn’t realize was missing until it’s there. Representation can help us feel seen, valued, and understood. When it comes to books, […]
Grace H
on
CW: Mentions of self-harm. As someone who has struggled with mental illness for most of my life, I have used many different coping mechanisms—both healthy and less healthy for me. For some, it can feel embarrassing or shameful to talk about their unhealthy coping mechanisms due to fears of being judged or not feeling understood […]
Grace H
on
I always saw physical and mental health as being separate until my anxiety got really bad and I noticed that I was getting sick more often. I’ve always had a lot of health anxiety, so in therapy, I identified a cycle: I would have anxiety about my stomach hurting, which would cause my stomach to […]
Grace H
on
CW: Mention of hate crimes, AIDS, slavery, and racism. June is a big month for awareness and commemoration events. It can be hard to take in a lot of information about these important occasions, so let’s break down a few of them. You probably already know that June is Pride Month, which is dedicated to […]
Grace H
on
School is inevitably a stressful time for teens. Balancing school work, extracurriculars, and a social life poses many stressors. To find out more about the stress that teens experience, I interviewed 12 high school students from grades 8 through 12 about their mental health, stress levels, and what affects them. The students interviewed were from […]
Grace H
on
When people hear the word “disabled,” they typically think of people who are visibly disabled. However, people who are dealing with more invisible disabilities are often overlooked because of the assumption that they are not disabled. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), reauthorized in 2004, recognizes 14 disability categories. The first category is low-incidence […]
Grace H
on
CW: Mention of Eating disorders, body dysmorphia, anxiety, and depression. Based on U.S. research, around ⅔ of all young people face some sort of insecurities about their body or have experienced body dysmorphia (Linardon). Body image issues often stem from insecurities about weight, hair, muscle mass, and skin concerns, like acne (Byrne and Young). These […]
Grace H
on
Summers can get overwhelmingly busy, but typically people end up having some extra time to relax. This summer, I worked, was a camp counselor, went to off-season training, was in rehearsals for a musical, all while also trying to have enough time to prioritize my mental health and give myself some much-deserved downtime. Sometimes I’d […]
Grace H
on
Being in a rut can mean a lot of things, but it is most commonly defined as “to not have changed what you do or how you do it for a very long time so that it is not interesting any longer” (“BE IN A RUT | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary”). Being in […]
Grace H
on
It can be hard to know how to support your friends when they’re struggling. Even if you can relate to what they’re going through with a similar experience, it can still be a challenge to support them. If a friend is going through something relatably difficult, think about what you would’ve needed to hear at […]