Bed rotting: self-care trend or mental health red flag? by Hannah DeWitt | May 9, 2025 | Mental Health Topics, Self-Care In today’s fast-paced world, we’re constantly juggling endless to-do lists and feeling pressure from both society and social media to keep up. Amid all this hustle, a new self-care trend has taken off online: bed rotting. To “bed rot” means to spend the day resting in bed, perusing social media,…
How a digital detox can bring a healthy balance to your life by Alexandra Cromer, LPC | Nov 22, 2024 | Mental Health Topics, Self-Improvement We’ve all felt it—that slightly fried feeling from too much screen time, too many notifications demanding our attention, and too many apps pulling us in every direction. It’s overwhelming, and sometimes the best remedy is a good, old-fashioned break, or a “digital detox.” This purposeful time off from screens and…
Understanding trauma dumping: Communication strategies and professional support by Alexandra Cromer, LPC | May 10, 2024 | Mental Health Topics, Trauma Trauma dumping refers to a situation where an individual shares their traumatic experiences in an overwhelming, often boundary-violating manner without the listener’s consent. While it’s not always intentional, trauma dumping typically crosses interpersonal boundaries and may cause the listener to feel overwhelmed or trapped. Learn more about how to spot…
Refocus: Mental wellness tips for the Black woman by Laura Harris, LCMHC | Jul 20, 2023 | Mental Health Topics, Race & Identity, Self-Improvement Hello Black women, my name’s Laura, and I’ve been certified Black since the ’80s. The title of this article reflects my intention for the distressed reader to shift their perspective to a more helpful focus to support mental wellness. This is intended to occur through analogies and tips. Let’s begin!…
Election stress disorder: Navigating negativity, news alerts, social media feuds, and misinformation by Taylor Bennett | Nov 1, 2022 | Disorders, Media Use, Mental Health Topics, Stress Ruthless attacks on both sides of the political aisle, in hopes of persuading voters. Nonstop alerts about the latest campaign news, like who’s projected to win the election or who has had the latest political blunder. Fights between “friends,” for all of Facebook and Twitter to see. Misinformation that begs…
The unintended side effects of spending too much time on social media by Austin Fabel | Aug 1, 2022 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics In late 2010, Steve Jobs was still at the head of Apple and had recently unveiled the first iPad. Jobs was well known for his personality and would often call reporters to let them know how he felt about their reviews. At times, these conversations would involve a pat on…
How to be more intentional with your time: Identifying time sucks and making downtime more restorative by Shannon Kersey, LPA | Apr 7, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Self-Improvement 168 hours. That is how many hours are in each week. Did you know that? I certainly did not; I never thought to do the math. Someone recently recommended the book, “I Know How She Does It” by Laura Vanderkam. Truthfully, it is written for a specific group of people…
Misinformation nation: How false news can influence us mentally and emotionally by Jason Crosby | Mar 29, 2022 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics, Psychology No one enjoys being lied to—but chances are, you’re absorbing some form of misleading or skewed information every day. This is known as misinformation—purposefully deviant reporting that aims to trigger an emotional response, usually in favor of the creator’s own biases. It can spread like wildfire across social media platforms,…
How to talk to someone with differing political views: 6 tips for navigating political conversations by Taylor Bennett | Mar 7, 2022 | Communication, Mental Health Topics During election season, headlines and ads about candidates fill our feeds. Emails about voter registration swarm our inboxes. Political opinions dominate our conversations. Arguments flood our social media accounts and more importantly, our relationships. And whether we like it or not, politics are on our minds. There are some people…
The mental health impact of Instagram and TikTok on young adults by Jason Crosby | Jan 12, 2022 | Media Use, Mental Health Topics You’ve read it a thousand times: Social media apps can wreak havoc on our mental health. Many of us (if not all) have heard that distant “ding” that resonates off the kitchen counter and experienced the sudden surge of curiosity — only to discover it’s a spam message, or worse,…
AITA (Am I the A**hole?): Our online quest to extinguish moral anxiety by Wistar Murray | Jan 10, 2022 | Anxiety, Mental Health Topics, Self-Improvement In case you missed it, there’s a place on the internet called r/AmItheA**hole (AITA) which aims to determine which party should be blamed in ethical disputes. For example, someone posts the following (paraphrased) moral quandary on Reddit’s AITA forum: “My friend’s baby was crying, so I gave her a sip…
What to do when the power goes out: Mental health edition by Taylor Bennett | Jan 7, 2022 | Mental Health Topics, Self-Care On January 3rd, a snowstorm pummelled the East Coast, and Fredericksburg, Virginia (my home) got the brunt of it. The first couple hours of snowfall were idyllic. I enjoyed the white, winter backdrop in the window behind me, as I sipped my coffee and completed the day’s journal entry (hello,…