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Loneliness and social isolation more hazardous to our health than obesity?

8/14/2017

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“Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need — crucial to both well-being and survival. Extreme examples show infants in custodial care who lack human contact fail to thrive and often die, and indeed, social isolation or solitary confinement has been used as a form of punishment,” said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, professor of psychology at Brigham Young University. “Yet an increasing portion of the U.S. population now experiences isolation regularly.”

 
The challenge we face now is what can be done about it.”....Greater emphasis could be placed on social skills training for children in schools and doctors should be encouraged to include social connectedness in medical screening, she said. Additionally, people should be preparing for retirement socially as well as financially, as many social ties are related to the workplace, she noted, adding that community planners should make sure to include shared social spaces that encourage gathering and interaction, such as recreation centers and community gardens.”

- The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

http://www.neuropsychotherapist.com/so-lonely-i-could-die/​

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Understanding adolescents through a developmental framework …

7/24/2017

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Friends and a social life becomes all consuming during adolescence. This doesn’t mean the family is being rejected. Instead, teenagers are simply transitioning through an intense period of change. Teens need the family life to remain a solid & secure homebase, so that they can return to it for comfort and healing when the peer world becomes too intense or overwhelming.

Once a teen’s behavior can be viewed through a developmental lens, you can depersonalize it. It is an understandable and necessary stage in their journey to reaching their own, full potential as a young adult.

Understanding the natural developmental path a child, youth, or teen is on, the better equipped we are to support them through their departure from childhood, and guide them in exerting their independence and in an appropriate and respectful way. 

http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/parenting-teens-understanding-behavior-0225137
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Tegan & Sara on mental health: ‘Being a young person can be overwhelming – it’s normal to struggle’

6/20/2017

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"There truly is no weakness in admitting you need a hand through the darkness...more needs to be done to normalize issues surrounding mental health for young people".

"it’s normal to struggle, to feel down, to question who you are, where you fit and to need support".
​
www.nme.com/news/music/tegan-sara-mental-health-young-person-can-overwhelming-normal-struggle-2089974

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13 Reasons Why - did suicide overshadow that whole sexual assault thing?

6/5/2017

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Numerous articles have surfaced about 13 Reasons Why and its controversies surrounding suicide... but did we almost miss an opportunity to speak about another important topic...sexual assault?  Also on Netflix is “13 Reasons - Beyond the Reasons”, which offers some excellent insight but can be easily missed by being packaged separately from the series. It almost could have had more impact for viewers (and possibly even combat all that controversy) if small spinets followed each episode in the series. Regardless, here are some words from the cast and creators about sexual assault...
   Photo: Her Campus Media, Boston University. 
Reporting assault
"So many victims [of assault] are afraid to come forward because immediately the victim shaming starts, and oftentimes is worse than the initial assault".

"[People reporting assault] have their entire character judged and criticized".  

"Very rarely do we show the bravery and the candour, and the pain that exists on the other side of being a survivor [of sexual assault], and how deeply damaging that is...which is both seen with Hannah and Jessica".

"When you are in that position [having been assaulted], it can be so hard to reach out because you don’t want to burden someone and you don’t think people want to listen, or you don’t think that people care".

"The challenge for Hannah is that she would have had to have the strength to describe what had happened to her, and the courage and determination to label it rape to get [the guidance counsellor's] attention, and she was not able to do that. And that is not her fault".

"Sexual assault comes with so much shame on top of the pain, on top of the violation that for victims to talk about it is incredibly hard and takes an incredibly safe space and someone who is very skilled in making it possible for the victims to talk about it".


Fight. Flight. Freeze. - Trauma Response 
"Whenever someone is faced with a major trauma, they have the fight, flight or freeze response. They will either fight their way out of it, run away from it, or freeze. And especially if they have accumulated trauma in the past, then the more likely response will be that they freeze. And that is what happened with Hannah".

"She may have even dissociated a bit. A lot of times victims of trauma talk about feeling apart from their body".

13 Reasons Why | Beyond The Reasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry-TOaM2Kfk
 
Toronto Resources
Toronto Distress Centres 408 Help Line
  • 24/7 Distress and Crisis Line
  • free/confidential
  • 416 408 4357
  • https://torontodistresscentre.com/408-help-line
 
Toronto Rape Crisis Centre
http://www.trccmwar.ca/
  • 416-597-1171 (main line)
  • 416-597-8808 (counselling line)
  • Offers legal support, referrals, a 24-hour crisis line, support groups and in-person counselling for victims of sexual assault.

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The Mindful Approach to Those Very Real Butterflies in Your Stomach (Mindful.org)

6/4/2017

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Just like a stressed brain sends signals to the gut, a troubled gut sends signals to the brain, putting someone at greater risk for anxiety and other neuropsychiatric difficulties.--BrainCurves: Mind-Body-Brain Wellness
https://www.mindful.org/mindful-approach-real-butterflies-stomach/?utm_content=buffer5567d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
​
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