The Local Optimist Digest #7

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 an exciting new trial of the 4-day workweek, the mental health crisis brewing amongst musicians, and the internet's questionable take on self-improvement.

Grab your passports, the UK is testing a 4-day work week

If you're looking for another reason to flee the country, the UK has got an extra tempting one for you. For the next six months, thousands of people across the UK will be working 32 hours a week in the largest four-day workweek pilot the world has ever seen. Participants across different industries will be paid the same amount of money, and researchers will be looking to measure any shifts in productivity and well-being, with many people believing it will be a boon to both. Where can we sign up?  READ

Can TikTok-beloved vagus nerve hacks really relieve anxiety?

The vagus nerve, a set of fibers that run from the brain stem down through each side of the neck and into the torso, is having a moment. Referred to as an "information superhighway," it picks up information about how our organs are functioning and sends information from the brain stem back to the body, helping to control digestion, heart rate, voice, mood, and the immune system. Now, TikTokers and wellness companies are trumpeting hacks and products to "tone" or "reset" the nerve in order to decrease anxiety, but experts say the evidence that they work is slim. READ

Another side effect of toxic masculinity: men aren't going to the doctor enough

If you're a woman reading this, chances are you've gone to the doctor more in the past year than the men in your life have in years. A new national study bears this out, finding that 65% of men believe they are healthier than others and 33% do not feel the need to get yearly health screenings. Many doctors attribute this to a "superman complex," or the pressure engrained in men by society to feel and act invincible. Heavy sigh. READ

There's a mental health crisis brewing in collegiate sports

It's become clearer than ever in recent years that being a talented athlete does not preclude someone from struggling with their mental health – in fact, the perfectionism that often comes with a career in sports can make it even harder to maintain one's wellbeing. After a string of recent suicides in college sports and studies showing that anywhere up to 21% of college athletes experience depression, college athletes are speaking out to bring attention to what they believe is a brewing crisis in college sports. "Too often athletes feel like they need to bottle up their emotions," says Serafina King, a rowing student at the University of Oklahoma. READ

TikTok is rolling out tools so that you don't lose hours to the app

In another sign of a social company knowing it's sort of, kind of bad for you, TikTok announced this week that it would be rolling out a new tool allowing people to set reminders to take breaks from the app, whose endless array of content people often get lost in. It also plans to remind users between the ages of 13 and 17 about its already-enabled screen-time tool (which prompts you to enter a passcode after a certain amount of time) if they use the app for more than 100 minutes in a day. We'll call this a baby step in the right direction. READ

The internet has turned self-betterment into perfectionism and, uh, "vibes"

Self-improvement used to be a highly personal process – not one that you eagerly shared with the world for likes, loves, and clicks. In an excellent piece for The Swaddle, writer Saumya Kalia underscores just how much the internet has warped the idea of becoming our "best selves," which now must be heavily curated and consistently shared with others to fit the bill. "The thing about self-betterment is it demands the work more than the result; the very act of working towards something is meant to be instructive," she writes. "But when you package everything into an aesthetic and a vibe, self-betterment [ends] up carrying the unbearable expectation of templatized perfection — leading to more anxious, less fulfilled selves in the process." READ

Are therapists struggling to connect with the "extremely online?"

Picture this, you're trying to explain a Reddit thread, the Dimes Square culture wars, or "Black Twitter" to your therapist and they just... don't get it. While these concepts might not seem integral to therapy, some experts argue that the lack of cultural competency amongst some therapists when it comes to life online has made the "extremely online" among us frustrated and prone to retreat from therapists who just don't seem to get us. While you don't necessarily need to hire a TikTok therapist, looking for someone who is at least open to learning more about life online (sans judgment) can be a great start. READ

If you're looking to get more joy out of your life, research suggests that embracing anticipation can help boost your mood and lower your stress levels.

So what does that look like? It doesn't have to involve planning a pricey trip every month. Make it simpler: at the end of every day, write down one thing you're looking forward to tomorrow, be it coffee with a friend or a new book arriving in the mail. Next, try focusing on your future self more and the goals you'd like future you to achieve. Then break them down into smaller tasks and focus on how motivated you feel after completing the task, rather than before. The more you progress, the more motivated and excited about the future you'll be.

Social media is taking its toll on musicians

As a musician in today's world, it's difficult to fully disconnect when your audience is always at your fingertips, waiting to hear more from you or pick apart whatever it is that you've posted or said. The increase in asks from record labels and agencies for these artists to post more content on platforms like TikTok has only made this harder. Now, many musicians from FKA Twigs to Halsey are speaking out about how exploitative the expectations of social media have become, but many artists are pessimistic about the potential for change, citing a lack of a clear call to action. READ

Feeling detached from worldwide tragedy? There's a reason for that

If you find yourself feeling curiously detached from all the depressing world news that's been rolling in lately (from repeated mass shootings to abortion bans), it's not because there's something wrong with you. Called psychic numbing, it's actually a common response to situations that make us feel hopeless or that we feel we have no control over. One way to get around this is to engage more with stories about specific victims involved in the tragedies and the lives they led, which can make the situations feel more real. Finding ways to help victims or overturn legal outcomes can also decrease the numbness you feel. But the key is not to overdo it – if you find yourself feeling extra stressed out from engaging with the news, it's okay to give yourself a break. READ

Born This Way Foundation

It's Pride Month, and we've partnered with one of our favorite non-profits, Born This Way Foundation, to donate all net profits from Madhappy's Pride collaboration with artist FEWOCiOUS to emerging LGBTQIA+ community centers across the U.S. through Born This Way Foundation's partnership with CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers. Co-founded in 2011 by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, the foundation has worked for years to support the mental health of young people and works with them to build a kinder and braver world. To find support or learn how you can support their mission, head HERE.

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