Harvard Student Gives Thanks For, Among Other Things, Mental Health Awareness

Recently in the Crimson, Hannah Borowsky wrote about what she was thankful for this Thanksgiving. Among the things she is thankful for, she says “I’m thankful for the increased awareness of mental health issues that has been brought to campus this year.” It is the responsibility of all students here to keep raising mental health awareness so that we can foster a community where we can talk about mental health with each other and build a happier, healthier campus together.

Mental Health Matters Tumblr

Check out this new tumblr created by a Harvard student.

Mental Health Matters is a campaign to create a welcoming and inclusive community conversation around student mental health at Harvard College.

Read what other students have shared, share your thoughts, stories and struggles, and browse our list of resources. Mental Health matters to all of us!

“We are obligated to give back to others, the form of behavior that they have first given to us,” he says. “Essentially thou shall not take without giving in return.”

And so if someone passes you in the hall and says hello, you feel compelled to return their greeting. When you don’t, you notice it, it makes you uncomfortable, out of balance. That’s the rule of reciprocation.

“There’s not a single human culture that fails to train its members in this rule,” Cialdini says.

This is probably because there are some obvious benefits to the rule of reciprocation; it’s one of those rules that likely made it easier for us to survive as a species.

But what’s interesting about all this is how psychologists like Cialdini can actually measure the way the rule affects how we behave in all sorts of situations.”

Check out the rest of this article from NPR on how giving back is programmed into our culture (just in time for the holidays!).

The Importance of Regular Mental Health Checkups

Check out this NYTimes article talking about the importance of regular mental health checkups!

“Absolutely, people should have a mental health checkup… It’s just as important as having a physical checkup.”

If you’re a Harvard Student, you can get your mental health checkup at Harvard Mental Health Services!

speak up. shine on.

http://speakupshineon.tumblr.com/

suicide, depression, anxiety.
these are not invisible problems, but people like to pretend they cannot see them. these problems are not talked about and confronted, but instead kept shrouded in darkness, shoved under the rug, ignored in hopes that they will go away.
my goal with this project is to shine a light, literally, on the dialogue and conversation that needs to happen within our community in regards to suicide and mental health concerns.
i’m looking for your voice, your stories, and your thoughts to contribute to this project. i’m asking you to speak up.
click “add to the conversation” to anonymously submit your words. submit whatever you want, share your story, say what’s on your mind, add to the dialogue.
this is your chance to be heard, and for your words to shine on.

Harvard’s Whiny One-Upmanship

One easy step to a less obnoxious and healthier Harvard

By ERIC T. JUSTIN

Published: Monday, November 12, 2012

The following is an op ed taken from the Harvard Crimson:

I usually use this column to discuss the Middle East, but today I would like to raise a very First World issue. It is one that aggravates student life at Harvard, yet we all have unwittingly participated in it in some form or another.

By way of example, here is a conversation I overheard yesterday:

“How’s it going?”

“You know, getting four hours of sleep, but whatever. This week sucks. I have two midterms, a paper, a date event, and elections for this club I’m in.”

“Yeah, last week was like that for me and next week will be even worse. But that’s Harvard, right?”

This conversation may not seem abnormal to you. In fact, since arriving at Harvard over three years ago, I have sadly grown accustomed to hearing conversations like this. Their distinguishing feature is that they mask bragging with complaining. And let’s face it: A great deal of Harvard’s social interactions fit this mold.

The student sleeping for four hours a night was not actually complaining about her sleep schedule. She was seeking the recognition of her peer. Presumably, the student has no intention of dropping her entirely voluntary commitments, nor is she actually seeking the advice of her friend for how to balance her responsibilities. As for the “But that’s Harvard, right?”: We have all heard that question or some variation of it many times here.

The obvious implication of that question is that if you are not filling every second of your time with Harvard’s multitude of academic and extracurricular opportunities, then you are missing out. From this perspective, Harvard is not a place for fulfillment, but rather a place for over-fulfillment. In this surreal world, free time is sinful and busyness is next to godliness.

There are many costs to Harvard’s whiny one-upmanship. I will highlight two.

The first cost is to student wellbeing. Complaining about life’s challenges can be healthy at times, but if you find that the great majority of your social interactions are more or less group whining sessions, then you are probably either unhappy or unknowingly contributing to someone else’s unhappiness.

Let me be clearer: If your lifestyle, classes, social circles, etc. are making you unhappy, then by all means reach out to family, friends, or one of Harvard’s many mental health resources. Being able to communicate about life’s difficulties is essential to good health. However, there is a difference between the quasi-bragging whining that replaces conversations for many Harvard students and genuine calls for help. Furthermore, any blurriness between those two types of communication is exacerbated by the proliferation of the former. Harvard’s whininess is symptomatic of a culture that makes the depressed feel that the lifestyle that is depressing them is normal. At least that was the case for me, as well as many others I have spoken to.

This morning, NPR released a segment about how different cultures deal with academic development and difficulties – specifically in Eastern vs. Western environments.

The idea of intelligence in believed in the West as a cause,” Li explains. “She is telling him that there is something in him, in his mind, that enables him to do what he does.”

But in many Asian cultures, Li says, academic excellence isn’t linked with intelligence in the same way. “It resides in what they do, but not who they are, what they’re born with,” she says.

…

All of this matters because the way you conceptualize the act of struggling with something profoundly effects your actual behavior.

Obviously if struggle indicates weakness — a lack of intelligence — it makes you feel bad, and so you’re less likely to put up with it. But if struggle indicates strength — an ability to face down the challenges that inevitably occur when you are trying to learn something — you’re more willing to accept it.

Read (or listen to) the rest of the article here

Need a Massage?

Want a massage without breaking the bank? Check out these chair massages offered by Harvard’s Center for Wellness:

3803 CHAIR MASSAGE RELAXATION BREAK

Licensed massage therapists
Mondays 12:00pm-2:00pm
Wednesdays 11:00am-2:00pm
Fridays 12:00pm-3:00pm
75 Mt. Auburn Street, Holyoke Center Arcade
Fee: $12.00 per 10 minutes ($9.00/HUGHP Members)

Are you stressed out and looking for the perfect “pick-me-up” during the week? Research suggests that “mini-massages” during the day can help individuals cope with the stress of daily life more effectively. Call to set up your mini-massage – a relaxation break that will allow you to return to work with a calmer, clearer mind and rejuvenated body, as well as an overall feeling of well-being. Try one this week!

More On Suicide Prevention

Turns out that following up or ‘checking in’ on people helps prevent suicide. Check out the story here at abcnews: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/national-suicide-prevention-follow-calls-cuts-deaths-half/story?id=17218740#.UJ2PAxyc8ui

Feeling Stressed?

Papers, psets, more midterms, upcoming finals, thesis drafts…and that’s just the academics. With all the stress of student life, Thanksgiving break just doesn’t seem to come quick enough. Some suggestions to deal with your stress until you get that break: download an app and exercise.

Relieving stress may be as easy as downloading an app to your smartphone. Search for those that may help you sleep or lead you through calming breathing exercises or meditation. This NYT article offers some suggestions: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/technology/personaltech/curl-up-with-a-soothing-smartphone-and-relax.html

Been meaning to hit the gym or the pavement? It’s with good reason; doing so will not only help to relieve tension, but research also shows that even ten minutes of physical activity can improve your cognition. You can read more about it here: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/11/09/can-exercise-make-you-smarter/

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