Hello January with your cold, long days and less light than we are used to. Are you over yet?! Many people start the calendar year with a lot of hope for a fresh start, only to hit what feels like quicksand when it comes to motivation and activity. You may have heard the mental health […]
Author: missouripip
We live in a fast-paced society that often glorifies “hustle culture.” This pressure to accomplish and perform exists alongside advances in technology that keep us perpetually dialed into an awareness of things to do, information to process, or the sense that we “miss out by unplugging.” For collegiate staff and students, this experience can be […]
Since the early 2010’s, when the calendar changes, there are a trend of people on social media announcing a “Dry January.” From hashtags to reels, stories of success or quick relapse, these people let us in on their journey to remove alcohol consumption from their routine for the first month of the year. Why Dry […]
Managing Anxiety During the Holidays
The other day, Academy-award-winning actress and philanthropist Viola Davis shared an image by @haleydrewthis on Instagram. In the image, an anthropomorphized scribble with legs, arms, and wide eyes is labeled “my anxiety.” In the adjacent picture, it is the same scribble but with Christmas lights, labeled “my anxiety in December.” The picture is adorable but, […]
The holidays can be a particularly difficult time for those in recovery, particularly students who may be returning to homes, friends, or family where their commitment to sobriety may not be known, understood, or welcomed. Whether making their own creative concoctions to avoid conversations they may not be prepared for or are safe, or to […]
In a recent terrorism advisory bulletin, the Department of Homeland security noted an increase in domestic threats from extremists within the United States. Some of those named specifically at risk were faith-based, particularly Jewish individuals or places of worship, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as ongoing threats related to how people perceive the […]
Why Does Gratitude Matter?
In the early years of mental health practice, the focus of the research was on the minority of mentally unwell people. The goal was to study these people, how they were suffering, and how we could work to make them better. However, toward the end of the 1900s, some psychologists began to consider what we […]
The holidays carry a lot of pressure and expectation, no matter what age you are. But, due to common developmental stages and changes, going home for the holidays can be tricky for a college student. While breaks from school are a welcome respite in a warm, restorative environment for some, we know that is not […]
While the government continues to debate the value of Daylight Saving Time, we continue in the pattern most of us have known our entire lives. “Fall back” in the fall, “spring forward” in the spring, shifting an hour of daylight in one direction or the other. This month we’ve experienced it again as we set […]
Dreams, Nightmares, & Mental Health
At the end of October, with all of the spooky themes and Halloween fun, it seemed like a good time to talk about dreams, nightmares, and how sleep plays into our mental health. It is generally recommended that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. During the time we are asleep, […]