Consuming the News with Mental Health in Mind
November 1, 2019 — Upon finishing the prolific and frankly disturbing HBO series, “Years and Years,” I could not stop thinking about politics and the news and pop culture and international relations. What is my role in all of this; do I have a role in this? A synopsis of the show reads: The six-part series follows the British […]
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Say Yes to Rest and Play
October 25, 2019 — Author and researcher Brené Brown says, “It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” It’s midterms season and I find myself having to read this quote over and over each day as a reminder to put my health first. Although Oxy isn’t […]
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Fostering a Safe School Environment: What Administrators Can Do to Support Students
October 21, 2019 — A few weeks ago, it was reported that one year following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students are reporting more anxiety and depression and cutting classes. Research has long demonstrated that the effects of shootings and other campus-wide crises (i.e. suicides, weather-related destruction, and other unexpected accidents), as […]
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Meet our Fall 2019 Interns!
October 17, 2019 — Say hello to our wonderful group of fall 2019 interns! We are so excited to learn and grow alongside these passionate and driven mental health advocates. Kaylan Escamez Where did you go to school and what did you study? University of Reading (Reading, England), Art & History of Art Where is home to you? Gibraltar […]
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Walking on Eggshells
October 14, 2019 — Careful Watch your step You may break me. Stop! No sudden movements I’m very fragile. I’m very sensitive. My mother always tells me it’s like walking on eggshells talking to me. She has to be careful what she says and how she says things, or else I get upset and defensive. “Are […]
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Notice and Connect Trainings – Colby College Active Minds
October 3, 2019 — Last fall, our chapter partnered with our school’s Counseling Center to begin implementing basic mental health trainings for members of our college community. Over the course of the semester, members of our chapter co-facilitated trainings with members of the Counseling center, educating members of the community on mental health, informing them of available resources, and […]
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Active Minds’ Recommendations: Shaping Positive Mental Health Climates through a Peer-to-Peer Approach
October 1, 2019 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. One of the most important factors in terms of a student’s decision to seek help is campus climate. Students are uniquely positioned to have direct and immediate effects on their peers’ perceptions of mental health issues and their likelihood to access mental health services. In the year […]
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You are more than your GPA
September 24, 2019 — You are so much more than the grades you get in classes, the top-tier internships, the score of your post graduate entrance exam. The thing about college is that through fierce and constant competition, you sometimes forget that. And honestly how could you not? You are told for years leading up to your first day […]
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In the Wake of Tragedy, Discuss Mental Illness in Ways that Help, Not Hurt
August 5, 2019 — Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide and gun violence/school shootings. August 5, 2019 — In the wake of the tragedies in El Paso and Dayton, I am devastated to have to bring the message I wrote last year following the catastrophic events at Stoneman Douglas High School forward again. I am devastated not only because […]
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Emerging Scholars || Letters to My Future Self
July 23, 2019 — RYAN FLINN NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY Ryan’s research project “Aggies Talk” examines the impact of stigma and attitudes on peer-to-peer helping behaviors among first-generation students. Dear Future Ryan, Your strength is your compassion for others. Your weakness is your self-criticism. You were born worthy. (You were the only person who was ever unconvinced of this […]
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