The Local Optimist Digest #24

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 well-being, discover the latest research on how the mind impacts the body, or find out which celebrities are helping to continue the conversation by opening up about their own mental health struggles, we’ll be covering it all here every week. This week, we're looking at how to be ambitious without sacrificing our mental health, why eating disorders are not exclusive to a specific body type, and why Taylor Swift's new album Midnights is more than just a love story.

US Surgeon General releases new guidelines for workplace mental health

As reports of “quiet quitting” and the Great Resignation have shown, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way Americans work. On October 20, 2022, the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released a new Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace. The framework outlines five essentials for workplaces to consider adopting in efforts to support the mental health of their employees: protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growth. READ. 

No, eating disorders are not exclusive to a specific body type

Content Warning: Eating DisordersAs a society, we have generalized certain eating disorders to a specific body type, reinforcing “size stereotyping” and other detrimental misconceptions. A recent study shows that many larger-bodied people are starving themselves and the number of people seeking treatment for “atypical anorexia nervosa” continues to rise rapidly. However, the road to diagnosis and treatment is vastly different for people who are diagnosed with atypical anorexia nervosa compared to those diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. READ HERE.

It’s official: Facebook has affected its users' mental health since the beginning

Apparently, we were doomed from the start. New research shows that since its first rollout across a small group of elite New England colleges and universities, Facebook has been hurting peoples’ mental health. When comparing the levels of mental health before Facebook was introduced to a campus and the levels afterward, researchers found more students on that campus reported having depression and anxiety disorders. And this was before any trolls, propagandists, or cynical actors were in the picture. READ. 

5 ways to retrain your ambition to support your mental health

1. Prioritize your relationships: If your ambition comes at the expense of psychologically fulfilling strong relationships, it can take a toll on mental health.

2. Focus on the task, not the rewards: You’ll feel more fulfilled if you focus on achievement for achievement’s sake—mastering a task, learning something, or creating positive change—rather than striving only for the next pay raise.

3. Strive for growth: It can be healthier to strive for growth—like learning or honing a skill—rather than concrete goals like getting a certain job title.

4. Practice gratitude: Regular reflections on gratitude, relationships, or mortality have shown to reduce materialism, which can, in turn, improve mental wellness.

5. Don’t try to monetize everything: Attaching extrinsic motivators (such as cash rewards) to activities that people enjoy decreases their internal motivation to keep doing them.

Read MORE.

Taylor Swift’s new album is more than just a love story

We all grow up imagining that our lives will play out differently than they actually do. Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, released on Friday, October 21, can attest to this. Midnights depicts a more weathered and mature version of Swift: someone who has learned that love doesn’t always last. Her lyrics touch on a variety of topics, from parenthood to the perception of self, giving her audience new insight into her past and present mental health realities. READ.

The Joe Burrow Foundation

Earlier this month, Joe Burrow announced the launch of his nonprofit foundation. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback shares that the foundation’s main priority is to help with food insecurity and childhood mental health issues. The foundation will provide resources and support to the underprivileged and underserved in the two states that helped shape Burrow’s football career, Ohio and Louisiana. To donate or learn more about the Joe Burrow Foundation, head HERE.

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