The Local Optimist Digest #14

Welcome to The Local Optimist Digest, your crib sheet for the latest news in mental health. Whether you want to know how the government is (or is not) investing in our wellbeing, discover the latest research on how the mind impacts the body, or find out which celebrities are helping destigmatize the conversation by opening up about their own mental health struggles, we’ll be covering it all here every other week. This week, we're looking at the mental health crisis among tween girls, the idea of "good" stress, and therapy's new role in online dating.

Tween girls are struggling with their mental health more than ever before

Being a tween girl has never been a cakewalk – faced with the confusing changes of puberty, societal pressures to look and act a certain way, and the prevalence of mean girl culture in middle and high school, there aren't many women who look back on that period and think "ah, yes, that was my time." But recent reports have found that the pandemic has made this period even harder for girls aged 10-15, who are experiencing greater life dissatisfaction, behavioral difficulties, and episodes of self-harm than their male peers. One of the main reasons for this? Increased usage of social media, of course. "Girls are more likely to engage in comparisons and to be affected by interpersonal feedback – processes that have been hugely amplified by social media," said one expert. READ

Celebrities are popularizing EMDR therapy

The latest trend taking over Hollywood is not related to diet, exercise, or plastic surgery. It's a form of trauma therapy called EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, that involves remembering a traumatic event while engaging your eyes, ears, or body in response to different stimuli. Everyone from Prince Harry to the Beverly Hills Housewife Dorit Kemsley is a fan of the therapy, which is believed to change the way a person processes and stores traumatic memories, making them less impactful over time. How far we've come from the Kabbalah bracelet! READ

For better or worse, some types of stress are good for us

We hate to be the bearer of bad news (or is it good news?) but some of those daily stressors you'd rather do without are actually beneficial to your mental health in the long run. A new study in Psychiatry Research found that low to moderate levels of stress, like a looming deadline or preparing for a big presentation, can help people develop resilience and reduce their risk of developing mental health disorders like depression. This type of stress can also help us develop better coping mechanisms for future stressors. Okay science, if you say so!  READ

Is your diet messing with your mental health?

When it comes to mental health, the effect of what we eat is often ignored, but food, hunger, and diet can actually play a significant role in how we feel. Two food phenomenons in particular can take the greatest toll, according to new research: heavily restrictive diets and an extreme focus on healthy eating. "Food consumption is an inherently social activity – as people often acquire, prepare, and eat food in social contexts," said the researchers. "We found that food restrictions predict loneliness. People who are unable to eat what others eat, to some extent, are less able to bond with others over the meal." READ

BetterHelp under scrutiny after a therapist calls them out on TikTok

The mental health services platform BetterHelp is under scrutiny, again. In early August, a therapist and TikToker named Alicia Murray called out the company for using unaffiliated providers' information to grow their client base. On the heels of reports that many of their providers never show up for bookings and their use of influencers to advertise false terms of service for the brand, Murray claims that they've collected tons of provider information on a site called CareDash without their permission, with each profile leading to BetterHelp instead of the therapist's website. In response, the company stated that they're no longer affiliated with CareDash. Hmmmmmmk. READ

The news cycle is messing with our sleep

The latest gift to come from the constant, often depressing news cycle that's always at our fingertips is shittier sleep. Since the start of the pandemic, 56% of Americans have reported struggling to sleep, citing the stress of COVID-19, but now experts specializing in sleep disorders believe that there's more to the story. "The world is a very unstable place right now," said one expert. "There are so many news stories people find disturbing that it really has increased anxiety and depression levels," two major contributing factors for insomnia. We're all about staying up to date, but it miiiight be time to turn off those push notifications. READ

#BeautyTok has become a safe space for people to open up about their feelings

When it comes to the world of beauty, TikTok is a complicated place. On the one hand, it's been known to promote unhealthy and/or exclusionary beauty standards, but it's also been a place for Gen-Z to celebrate their so-called imperfections or conditions like acne, which were once shrouded in shame. In recent months, #BeautyTok has become a space for people to open up about their true feelings, sharing existential musings on everything from being in a funk to the fleeting nature of friendship. As one beauty expert put it: "Beauty routines are always a moment of self-reflection for a lot of people, whether or not they realize it." READ

We often tell others to be kind to themselves, but we're not so great at taking that advice ourselves. But there's a very good reason to try: researchers studying the science of self-compassion have found that those who practice it most are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. It's been shown to positively impact physical health, too.

So, where can you start? Psychologist Kristin Neff has developed the below model for practicing self-compassion:- Self-kindness: Be warm toward yourself when you suffer or mess up, rather than judging yourself harshly.- Common humanity: Remind yourself that everyone suffers or makes mistakes, rather than succumbing to the belief that you're the only one. - Mindfulness: Don't overidentify with your painful thoughts. Recognize that while they're hard, they're just thoughts, not representative of your whole being. 

Being in therapy has become a must-have for some singles

We all have that friend (okay, maybe a few) who vets potential partners by a list of purely superficial qualities, like their height or job, eliminating anyone who doesn't meet their ideal. But many singles are now going a little deeper with their must-have lists, requiring that any potential partners be in therapy, with a Hinge survey finding that a whopping 91% of their users prefer to date someone in therapy. Given that therapy was once considered shameful and taboo, we'll consider this a win for the mental health movement. READ

The mental health conversation lands at Miss America

Speaking of largely superficial spaces where mental health is rarely mentioned, we present you: the Miss America contest (which is inexplicably still a thing in 2022, though luckily sans the swimsuit contest). But the winner of 2020's contest, Camille Schrier, helped to shift that last week when she opened up about her struggles with anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. While she enjoyed aspects of the competition, it also wasn't the most nurturing place for her mental health, she said: "There is such a microscope on you. The criticism, people tear you apart in a way that I have never experienced." READ

Active Minds

On the heels of a back-to-school season where youth mental health has never been of greater concern, we're turning our attention to groups that are helping to support the mental health of students. Active Minds is a national leader for young adult mental health advocacy and suicide prevention that's present in more than 600 high schools and colleges. Their resources and support help students increase awareness around different mental health concerns, decrease the stigma, and advocate for policy changes on campus. To learn how to get involved or donate to the cause, head HERE.

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