Fourcast JADE April 2021

JADE

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The Fourcast Magazine The Hockaday School Volume 4, Issue 2 April 2021

CULTIVATING SELF-CARE: TENDING TO MENTAL HEALTH DURING QUARANTINE

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ABOUT JADE In 2017, The Fourcast added a new magazine to its traditional coverage. Named for the stone set in the ring of all graduating seniors, which was designed by Tiffany in 1917, JADE offers an in-depth look at the most pressing issues to the Hockaday community. Former Hockaday Dean of Upper School Ed Long once remarked that Ela Hockaday chose the jade stone because she considered it to be a symbol of wisdom. In honor of the stone’s legacy, JADE hopes to help inform the community and foster knowledgeable conversations about challenging topics.

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CONTENTS

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The Faces of Hockaday Counseling Learn about counseling at Hockaday in this Q & A with Raquel McKinney and Ashley Ferguson, Upper School counselors.

Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community Mental health issues are prevalent in the LGBTQ+ community, especially among teenagers. Why does this happen, and what can people do to help?

To Listen or Not to Listen As podcasts continue to grow in popularity, more self-care channels have become available. Here are the podcasts worth listening to.

Breaking Down the Burnout Barrier Burnout manifests in numerous ways. How do you spot it, and how can you recover?

Here’s to the Crazy Ones A guest writer with borderline personality disorder shares what she has learned from her experiences.

Not Screen Time, but Screen Sensibility After a week of 30-minute screen time limits, Kate Clark urges us to be more sensible about our laptop and phone usage.

ON THE COVER

Art by Veronica Fang, Contributing Artist, Design by Kelsey Chen, Jade Editor

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The Faces of Hockaday Counseling Katherine Grace Estess, News Editor, and Caroline Petrikas, Staff Writer

How confidential is seeing the counselor?

How should I help a friend struggling with mental health?

How can students reduce stress?

When should I tell an adult?

It is confidential. The one thing I like to tell students is that if I feel like you’re in jeopardy of hurting yourself or hurting somebody else, then that’s where I have to tell a trusted adult. Other than that, you can really talk to me about anything, and I will help you work through it. If it’s something that I feel like needs to be talked about with your parents, we will work through that. Like I told students this week when I was talking to them, if there is anything like that, we can call your parents together.

I would never betray the trust that I have with one of my students, but typically it’s confidential unless it’s an extreme situation.

Raquel McKinney, Upper School Counselor

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Listen to your body and listen to yourself talk. If you feel yourself at that boiling point where you’re like ‘this is too much,’ you have to just kind of take a step back and just say what needs to go.”

Wow. I think this takes self care and students recognizing limitations they have.

If you are so booked that you’re not being able to give everything your full potential or your full effort, then you’re not serving yourself well or serving the programs and your classes that you’re doing. I think that’s just the learning lesson: sometimes you have to really recognize what your passions are. Or, if you know what you are most passionate about, whether you can see yourself giving it up. I would never tell a student to let go of a passion, but I would encourage the student to really evaluate what is most important to them and what makes them the most happy and focus on those while being able to do your schoolwork.

What is the goal of Wellness Wednesday?

Why did you decide to become a counselor?

I think in college I realized that I wanted to do something that was helping people and I didn’t know what that looked like. I knew I was getting a degree in sociology and I thought, ‘OK, I need to figure out what direction I’m going to take it.’ I ended up going into social work because I knew that there was a variety I could work with. Then, I ultimately ended up in school counseling.

It’s just to highlight mental health and let students know that mental health is there, we all have it. Mental health is not bad; you can have solid health and then you can have some of that you’re struggling with.

Neither one is necessarily right or wrong.

I would love for students to reach out to the counselors as much as they feel. That’s one thing I’ve learned about coming to Hockaday is I was told that some students are a little bit leery about coming to the counselor because they think that means you have a problem. That’s not the case at all. I think it’s just healthy to come talk and just share feelings because, let’s face it, we are human. We’re all girls here so I know we have emotions, we feel and we feel deeply.

Certainly lend an ear, be there for them, talk to them, but recognize that you don’t have to take on that responsibility yourself; that’s why we’re here. There are support systems in place for you to be able to reach out to. Sometimes it takes a friend going to a counselor to tell them ‘my friend is really struggling,’ and it could be with any mental health issue. Sometimes it’s eating disorders or depression. I’ve had one person come to me and say their family is really not in a good place right now, they are arguing and stuff, and she’s just really been crying a lot. So just reaching out, helping and being a friend, but recognize that there are professionals out there who can help.

When there are safety concerns, or changes in behavior. Certainly retreating, not wanting to hang out as much, sadness, feeling like they just can’t be happy. Maybe if you see a change in their eating or a change of maybe some negative decisionmaking, whether that be drinking or substance abuse. Things where you’re like, ‘OK, this student’s not coping with things appropriately, so maybe we should reach out.’”

What advice would you give to someone who feels overwhelmed?

Listen to your body and listen to yourself talk. If you feel yourself at that boiling point where you’re like ‘this is too much,’ you have to just kind of take a step back and just say what needs to go. Another approach that I like to take is you put it all into perspective. If this doesn’t get done, what’s going to happen? Recognize that sometimes it’s OK not to be Superwoman, right? You can just kind of prioritize what’s most important and what needs to be done and then give yourself permission to not get everything done if it doesn’t happen.

What has been the greatest challenge to mental health caused by the pandemic?

Isolation. One student said something to me at the beginning of the year that stuck with me. She said, ‘I am hug-starved.’

I had not heard that term before, but she just wanted to hug. I think the greatest challenge is just the isolation of being unable to interact without these masks.

5 In the Hockaday community, there are myriad resources in regards to the mental health of students, most notably counselors Ashley Ferguson and Raquel McKinney.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, new mental health concerns have arisen around the world, and subsequently within the Hockaday community. The 2020-21 school year has come with new challenges and ways to take care of mental health.

What area or areas of mental health do you think Hockaday could approve upon?

Normalizing talking about suicidality and non-suicidal ideation, self-harm. Also to normalize eating disorders and disordered eating. I’ve learned in my three years here that we don’t talk about it because it can be triggering for some students, but it is still happening. So not normalizing these topics, but making them normal or comfortable to talk about. We also have to figure out how to support our students in academic pressure, in a way where the school does not seem so competitive that everyone has to have perfect grades.

Nobody is perfect; the stress and pressure the Hockaday community puts on itself and its students is like none other that I’ve seen. So, while we definitely want students who go to Hockaday to be prepared, we don’t want to put them in a situation where they are stressed more often than not.

What are some tips for avoiding burnout?

The problem is not recognizing when you are burnt out, so to do something about it you first have to recognize it.

But some practical strategies would be to stay active; you have to get at least 10 minutes of physical activities a day.

You also have to sleep. When we look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, sleep is a very basic need. Another thing would be to protect your boundaries; only you can say when enough is enough. When you reach that point, don’t try to push yourself past your limits because when that happens, you’re going to be disappointed with yourself and/or crash and burn.

What is Wellness Wednesday and what is it’s goal?

It started last year with the boarding students, and my idea was to be available and present to the boarding students every Wednesday evening just to be another source of mental support to them. Now, it has developed into this One Hockaday initiative to combine the

Hockaday community to promote overall wellness for students and faculty and staff. We try to talk about relevant topics.

For example, this week ’s theme was “It’s OK to Cry.” So Wellness Wednesday is just an opportunity for us to provide little bits of information to the Hockaday community about mental health topics and to open the door to communication.

How can I help a friend struggling with mental health?

Number one, validate. There is nobody in this world who will never struggle with anxiety. Let them know that these feelings are normal; it is how they affect us where it becomes a sticky situation. Listen without judgment and without giving advice. As a counselor, it is not my job to give advice. It is my job to listen and to help you weigh your options and figure out what’s going to work best for you. So I would encourage others to do the same: don’t give your friend advice, don’t tell them what to do, just listen and validate. The third thing I would say is to know your boundaries as a friend. Know when you are in over your head and know when their struggles are starting to affect you. And know when they’re in a place when you need to reach out to an adult for more help.

When is it ok to take a break?

Whenever you need one, you deserve one. Don’t try just to get things done when you know you need to take a step back. It is easier said than done, but if you don’t listen to your body, you’re eventually going to have to. When you’re stressed, your immune system doesn’t function as well and you are forced to listen to your body. A break doesn’t necessarily mean sleep or a lavish celebration; it can mean smaller things to help you relax. Maybe you take the scenic route home from school, or engage in more physical activity, or bake a pie in your kitchen. A break can mean many different things to many different people. When you feel like you

Ashley Ferguson, Upper School Counselor

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It is my job to listen and to help you weigh your options and figure out what’s going to work best for you. So I would encourage others to do the same: don’t give your friend advice, don’t tell them what to do, just listen and validate.”

can’t give yourself a break, find a friend you feel comfortable taking a break with.

How can students reduce stress culture?

It’s hard because Hockaday is an academically challenging school which prepares you for college, and in order to change stress culture, it is going to have to start with the community as a whole.

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Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community Mental health issues are prevalent in the LGBTQ+ community, especially among teenagers. Why does this happen, and what can people do to help?

Rachel Jan, Staff Writer, and Elisa Carroll, Staff Writer

“ Be yourself:” Self-identity and Mental

Health Cristiana Miele, Form III student, is a member of Hockaday Pride, which serves as Hockaday’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group. She has had her own personal experience with coming to terms with her self identity, as well as sharing that identity with those around her. As a leader of the group, Miele hears often about other students’ experiences and how their often-marginalized identities can affect their mental health.

“It’s so hard because you’re never sure if you’d be accepted for who you are,” Miele said.

“Having to hide away a huge part of yourself around people you love and care for takes such a big toll.”

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning community is a loosely-defined grouping of a range of identities and expressions relating to gender and sexual orientation. It is often used as an umbrella term that includes many sub-communities built around these shared self-identities.

Form II student Annie Hurley is also a member of Hockaday Pride.

“Self-identity is vital towards one’s understanding of how they fit in the world around them,” Hurley said. “Identifiers such as sexuality and gender determine someone’s viewpoint on everything that they see and helps mold the way that they react to different experiences.”

Many in the LGBTQ+ community face unique challenges in regards to their self-identity, with an increased possibility of experiencing shame, fear, discrimination and other traumatic events.

While this is representative of the strength and resilience of many members of the community, it also puts LGBTQ+ individuals at greater risk for mental health issues.

“Mental health is important because you need to support yourself and your mind to do anything,” Miele said. “Mental health issues can be so detrimental to living your life, to the point it starts to manifest in physical problems.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition, while transgender individuals are more than four times as likely to experience a mental health condition. LGB teens are four times as likely than their peers to attempt suicide, while 40 percent of transgender adults have attempted suicide in their lifetime, compared to less than 5 percent of the general U.S. population.

What causes mental health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community?

For any person to thrive in an environment, whether that be in their school, workplace, home or place of worship, they need to feel safe and supported. However, for members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially youth, cultural conditions in society often lead to feelings of isolation, rejection, discrimination and fear.

When existing in heteronormative society, LGBTQ+ people can often feel excluded and as outsiders since they are regarded as an “other.”

This feeling of difference and rejection can not only lead to negative thoughts about oneself, but it also causes fear of discrimination and prejudice from others.

Because heterosexual relationships are viewed as “normal,” LGBTQ+ people also have to navigate that aspect of their lives on a very private and personal scale. Straight people can refer to examples all around them, whether that be in entertainment, their friends’ relationships or even their parents.

Associate Director of College Counseling

biphobia rooted the idea that people are only gay or straight.

As a result of this stigma, bisexual people are much more likely to suffer from mental health issues compared to their gay or straight counterparts since they often do not find acceptance in and outside the LGBTQ+ community.

Ableism, classism and racism also exist within the LGBTQ+ community. When considering intersectionality, minorities within the LGBTQ+ community continue to face discrimination for their alternate identities.

“Any alternate minority identities like race, ability level or socio-economic status combined with being LGBTQ+ results in even more discrimination.” Hurley said. “This negativity’s impact is the ridiculously high mental health issues impacting queer people.

Growing to understand identity can be a confusing and scary process. It often leads to an incredible amount of self-doubt. Especially

“Figuring out your identity takes time, which can be very frustrating. But it always works out in the end. You can find people in your life who will support you through your questions. You will get to a place where you’re happy with yourself.”

-Cristiana Miele Charlie Runyan is the sponsor for Hockaday Pride.

“LGBTQ+ individuals are left without social scripts for how to be both queer and to live a healthy, happy, and productive life, which I believe is the main reason we see the queer community disproportionately experiencing mental health issues,” Runyan said.

Especially for LGBTQ+ youth, this “social script” can be completely absent from their lives.

They can feel uncertain and alone among the almost strictly heteronormative environment of their school and home.

Madeline Sumrow is a Form III student who is also a part of Hockaday Pride.

“Most parents can give their kids guidance for navigating the kinds of dynamics and struggles they may have faced, but most of the time queer kids have to figure that out themselves,” Sumrow said.

Even within the LGBTQ+ community there is still a pervasive stigma for certain identities.

For instance, bisexual people often face

for questioning youth, it can be difficult to find someone to turn to who they can talk to about their struggle with their identity.

“Not knowing who you are can be so stressful, especially when you don’t feel like you can talk to anyone about it for fear of being invalidated,” Miele said. “All of this takes a huge toll on your mental health.”

Transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming people and those who struggle with gender identity face their own problems which also have a negative effect on their mental health. This can lead to gender dysphoria, which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as the “persistent dissatisfaction with or distress relating to one’s anatomic sex.”

“Requirements to dress and identify as a gender that you do not feel comfortable with have a very negative impact on the mental health of these individuals,” Hurley said. “Even when they have the freedom to dress and identify as their preferred gender, there’s still the continuous

7 concern about whether they ‘pass’ or not.”

Individuals who are nonbinary or those who use atypical pronouns often have to deal with opposition to their identity. Whether accidental or intentional, they are often misgendered or illegitimized.

Overall, the LGBTQ+ community fosters a wide variety of people and their identities.

Identities make people who they are, and when that is ignored or not accepted, it creates huge consequences for our well-being.

“Being a teenager is already a challenge,” Sumrow said. “With the addition of this different kind of challenge, it makes things even harder for teens since it can make them feel a lot more isolated and alone.”

“I Hear You” & Other Ways To Help There are many resources for LGBTQ+ students seeking help for their mental health.

One of the most famous national non-profit organizations dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth is the Trevor Project, which offers crisis interventions and community resources. For those who need to speak with someone immediately, the Trevor Lifeline (1-866-488-7386) is staffed by trained counselors 24/7.

For students, the Hockaday counselors are great on-campus resources for help. In addition, LGBTQ+ students can also find support in Hockaday Pride student leaders and faculty cosponsors Runyan and Emily Bemenderfer. Other students can turn to these trusted adults if they are worried their peers could harm to themselves or others as a result of their struggles.

Friends, educators and families of LGBTQ+ students can also make a difference by offering support. Although it may push the boundaries of their comfort, by listening without judgment, allies can potentially change the life of a struggling student.

“Even if you have one person supporting you, it makes you feel less alone,” Sumrow said. “If you know you’re important to someone, it means you’ll think of yourself as important too.”

Many interviewees said listening and making a comfortable space for others is one of the most important things people can do for others’ mental health. Acknowledging someone’s chosen pronouns, avoiding offensive terms or phrases and taking note if you’ve made someone else uncomfortable are all great ways to offer support. Letting LGBTQ+ friends talk about LGBTQ+ things is important as well.

“If you can rant about ‘The Bachelor’ and how hot the dude is for however many hours, they should be allowed to rant about their favorite queer show,” Hurley said. “LGBTQ+ people are going to talk about LGBTQ+ things a lot, but not all of it is going to be negative, informative or even remotely helpful. Sometimes you just want to rant about how pretty Zendaya is.”

Of course, simply protecting LGBTQ+ students from discriminatory and negative language can contribute to creating a safe environment.

“All students should feel safe at school, and unfortunately, LGBTQ+ students throughout the United States really do not feel safe at school,” Runyan said. “One of the simplest ways to be an ally is to protect your queer, transgender and non-

binary peers from cruel remarks from others.”

Being aware about people’s different identities and the issues LGBTQ+ people face is also a step towards understanding someone’s struggles. Sites like GLSEN, genderbread.org, Human Rights Campaign and PFLAG all have helpful information for those seeking to learn more about the differences between sex, gender identity, gender expression and attraction or sexual orientation.

“Remember, everyone has multiple dimensions of their identity and no one should be singled out for only one of their identities,” Runyan said. “At the end of the day, we all want to lead healthy, happy and productive lives.

Treat others like you want to be treated – with worth, dignity, and respect.”

Moving Forward Although society has made progress toward addressing mental health issues for the LGBTQ+ community, there is still a lack of representation, knowledge, and sometimes, respect

for the topic. As such, it is just as important as ever to reach out and provide support.

“Please give your queer friends some love,” Hurley said. “Give them a hug, let them know that they are valid and worthy of love and acceptance, no matter what anyone else says.”

Members of Hockaday Pride also offered words of encouragement for LGBTQ+ students.

“Figuring out your identity takes time, which can be very frustrating,” Miele said. “But it always works out in the end. You can find people in your life who will support you through your questions. You will get to a place where you’re happy with yourself.”

LGBTQ+ Resources

Forge A progressive organization whose mission is to support, educate and advocate for the rights and lives of transgender individuals and SOFFAs (Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies). They have recorded webinars on many different issues related to trans* individuals and SOFFAs. It Gets Better Project “The It Gets Better Project’s mission is to communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them.”

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force “The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up.” They also run Creating Change, the “largest annual gathering of LGBTQ activists, organizers, and leaders within the LGBT movement” in the US. National Center for Transgender Equality “The nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people.”

The “Not All Like That” (NALT) Project Videos of Christians (mostly families) explaining how they fully support LGBTQ people and that being Christian shouldn’t mean being anti-gay.

Parents, Families, Friends, and Allies United with LGBT People to Move Equality Forward (PFLAG) PFLAG is the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies.

Courtesy of Hockaday Pride

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The Truth About Therapy

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pisodes of the ABC series ‘Private Practice’ often open with doctor Addison Montgomery sitting on the same brown couch, talking with her therapist. In season five, however, Addison announces she is officially finished with therapy.

“I have everything I’ve ever wanted,” she reasons. “I mean, isn’t that the point of therapy?”

For all her (fictional) genius, Addison Montgomery misses the mark in her understanding of therapy — as do countless movies, books and individuals. Portraying therapy as a quick-fix or a last-resort, the media often perpetuates misconceptions surrounding therapy.

While seemingly harmless, these misconceptions feed into the public stigma around therapy and discourage people from asking for help.

The Stigma Around Therapy

Rooted in false information, the stigma around therapy exists in two forms: a public stigma and an internal stigma. The public stigma entails the shame and judgment other people place on those in therapy. Internalized stigma, however, refers to the shame and embarrassment people feel toward their own therapeutic process.

Misconceptions about therapy help fuel both of these forms. One major misconception is the notion that if you go to therapy, there must be something wrong with you. Junior Cristiana Miele said she personally put off therapy because of this misconception.

“I didn’t want my parents to worry or think something was terribly wrong with me,” Miele said. “So I didn’t ask for help.”

As Miele speculated, people do often begin therapy for help with a troubling circumstance.

Many attend therapy to manage an overwhelming mental illness or a traumatic experience. In fact, over 50 percent of youths aged 6-17 in the United States with a mental health disorder received treatment in 2016, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. However, Professional Counselor Katlin Schrodt at North Dallas Counseling Group said therapy is in no way an indication of a flaw or shortcoming, nor is mental illness a weakness. Furthermore, therapy is not limited to those experiencing a mental illness. Rather, it is a resource for anyone who wants to improve or preserve their mental health.

“You can start therapy at any point in your life,” Schrodt said. “There’s never a time where getting help is not okay.”

From Schrodt’s perspective, whether it be a tool to maintain mental health or a designated support system, therapy can help anyone at any stage of life. Everyone experiences some level of daily stress, and therapy can provide coping strategies and support for those stressors.

“Having a way to process information and vent and get it all out can be really cathartic and therapeutic in nature,” Schrodt said. “Therapy also gives us the ability to gain some self-awareness and insight about why we feel and perceive the way we do and to realize we have control over the choices we make.”

Anna Gum, Opinion Editor, Hanna Zhang, Arts & Life Editor, and Melody Hu, Staff Writer Schrodt also said people’s misconceptions about therapy generally form during childhood and within the home. Just as our media intake informs our perception of therapy, our family and upbringing can as well.

“A lot of it can do with their family of origin or their cultural experiences,” Schrodt said. “When people in a child’s family are not open and talking about their feelings, it shows the child thinks these things are not safe things to talk about.”

Similarly, our social surroundings and personality help shape our view of therapy and mental health. Combined with the messages we receive from the media we consume and how openly our family talks about mental health, these factors determine whether or not we internalize a shame around therapy, a shame that can hinder our mental health journey and hold us back from asking for the help we need.

As Schrodt said, therapy offers numerous opportunities for growth and comfort, and the stigma threatens to prevent people from receiving all therapy has to offer.

“I think when that stigma is removed, a lot of people will have better treatment outcomes,” Schrodt said.

Changing the Stigma

There has been progress in abolishing the stigma around therapy. Just in the past 10 years, the stigma has shifted, with newer generations being more open to therapy. According to research by the Barna Group, a larger percentage of younger generations both attend therapy or are open to the idea of attending therapy.

Less than 20 percent of Millennials and Gen X reported they would never go to therapy.

In contrast, almost 35 percent of Boomers and

Schrodt believes this shift is largely due to the growth of social media. Countless celebrities and influencers have used their online presence to share their personal journey with mental health, creating conversation online and among their followers. While the media often instigates the spread of false information and shame around therapy, people who speak to their own positive experiences with therapy normalize mental illness and going to therapy. Furthermore, their platforms provide a space for people to learn about mental health and therapy before seeking help themselves.

“Celebrities and influencers on social media have spoken to really just normalizing mental health and showing that getting help is not a sign of weakness but really a sign of growth,” Schrodt said.

Therefore, one key to continuing to eliminate the stigma lies in increasing public discourse.

Whether it be between a social media influencer and their followers or between two friends, open conversation about mental health combats the idea that asking for help or talking about your emotions is shameful. Junior Sidney Kronbach said talking with her own friends about therapy helped her overcome the shame she had internalized.

“I used to think [therapy] was some weird thing that not everyone does,” Kronbach said. “But the more I’ve talked to my friends about it, the more I’ve realized that almost 75 percent of my friends either go or have gone to therapy.”

In order to continue making progress, healthy conversation about mental health needs to start at a young age. As Schrodt said, kids often internalize shame for their emotions and mental health at a young age if their upbringing does

“My therapist often tells me that she thinks every teenager should have a therapist, and I completely agree.

Having someone outside of your life who you can talk to without judgment is extremely helpful.”

- Sophomore Josie Sinwell Elders said the same. These statistics reveal that reducing the stigma around therapy can be achieved. Miele also said she has noticed a difference between how younger and older generations perceive therapy.

“I think within Gen Z culture, therapy is something you can relate to people with,” Miele said. “But when I talk to my parents about therapy, it feels like a bit of a taboo subject for them because they grew up seeing therapy as a weakness.”

not teach them that talking openly about their emotions is normal.

“Early intervention and more education around therapy and mental health in general is definitely key in reducing the stigma,” Schrodt said. “Again, that all starts at a really early age.”

Therapy: The Experience

When people are able to overcome the external and internal judgment placed on therapy, they generally find it to be a positive experience.

9 Schrodt said out of the estimated 59 million people in the United States who have received mental health treatment in the past two years, more than 80 percent of people found treatment to be effective.

Junior Sienna Ellis began therapy to help deal with feeling overwhelmed and anxious about

“You can start therapy at any point in your life.

There’s never a time where getting help is not okay.”

-Kaitlin Schrodt, Licensed Professional Counselor school and friends. After beginning to attend therapy once a week, she said she has learned how to better deal with her anxiety. She said therapy gives her a free, non-judgmental space to talk and process why she feels and thinks the way she does. Additionally, her therapist has helped her feel supported in pushing herself to do things outside of her comfort zone.

“It has honestly made me so much more of a positive person because I am now less overwhelmed and focused on my anxiety and my stress,” Ellis said. “I’m now able to be more open with people because I’ve had the practice in therapy talking about what I’m feeling.”

Kronbach also said therapy has made a positive impact on her life, after she began attending at age 9.

“It’s been great going for my mental health,” Kronbach said. “I think it’s been really helpful to have my therapist as an outlet as someone who isn’t involved in my life that just has that third party perspective.”

Additionally, therapy has given her a resource to gauge her level of stress and evaluate whether she’s experiencing a “normal” level of stress or a heightened level of anxiety, so she can better deal with it.

“I think if you don’t have that professional insight, you’re probably not going to be able to move on from the things that are inhibiting you from living your life to the fullest,” Kronbach said.

Sophomore Josie Sinwell similarly said she thinks therapy is an important resource even for people who do not have a mental illness. Sinwell began virtual therapy during COVID-19 and said the outlet it provides has been invaluable in managing her day-to-day stress.

“My therapist often tells me that she thinks every teenager should have a therapist,” Sinwell said. “and I completely agree.”

Counseling Resources Park Cities Child and Family Counseling 4849 Greenville Ave. #1100 Dallas, Texas 75206 (214) 886-5760 Galaxy Counseling Center 1025 S. Jupiter Road Garland, Texas 75042 (972) 272-4429 Girls to Women Health and Wellness 16980 Dallas Parkway #204 Dallas, Texas 75248 Open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

(972) 733-6565 https://www.gtw-health.com/location/dallas/ National Alliance on Mental Illness in Texas (512) 693-2000 https://namitexas.org Online Support Groups: https://namitexas.org/find-yourlocal-affiliate-or-start-up-group/

Erin Parolisi, Web Editor

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What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Remy Finn, Sports Editor, and Campbell Harris, Staff Writer

Causes of SAD 1. Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight may cause winter-onset SAD, disrupt your body’s internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.

2. Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD. 3. Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body’s level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.

Source: Mayo Clinic

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very year as winter approaches, people share their excitement for the festivities, celebrations and winter snow. For some, however, wintertime also creates intense negative emotion, as a result of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

John Hopkins Medicine describes SAD as a recurrent depressive disorder in which symptoms of depression occur during the same season each year. SAD often presents itself as a type of atypical depression, characterized by somnolence and overeating, whereas typical depression manifests as loss of appetite and insomnia.

Common symptoms of wintertime SAD are sadness, suicidal thoughts, fatigue and irritability.

Dr. Wells Housson, a clinical psychologist in Dallas who owns Women’s Mental Wellness, said SAD has become more widely recognized by psychologists over time.

“Seasonal Affective Disorder is something that wasn’t as widely accepted 20 to 30 years ago, but we now, with more data, know that it’s a legitimate mental illness and type of depression,” Housson said.

Psychology Today reports that although the main cause for SAD is unknown, evidence points to the increase in melatonin production and the disruptions of the body’s circadian rhythm, or “body clock.” Sunlight may also play a role in the development of SAD; reduced sunlight can lower the body’s amount of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for stabilizing mood and promoting

feelings of well-being and happiness.

The Mayo Clinic explored the possibility of sunlight’s impact on SAD by studying cases based on location, reporting that SAD appears to be more common among those who live farther north or south of the equator.

Additionally, according to the American Psychiatric Association, SAD can be more common for people suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, as the weather can trigger flashbacks and other effects of trauma.

However, SAD can develop for complex reasons, which may cause it to occur in the summertime with symptoms such as insomnia, weight loss and anxiety.

“In the summer, people with Seasonal Affective Disorder can have an increase in anxiety,” Housson said. “You would think that you would be asymptomatic due to more hours of sunlight and daytime, but sometimes people with SAD will have a big bump in anxiety in the summer months.”

Psychology Today reports about 10 million Americans suffer from SAD, while another 10 to 20 percent of Americans have mild SAD symptoms. Additionally, some people experience symptoms severe enough to affect quality of life, while 6 percent require hospitalization. To be diagnosed, one must meet the criteria for major depression coinciding with specific seasons for at least two years and experience seasonal depression much more frequently than any nonseasonal depression.

Dr. Kelly Bentel, who works with children, adolescents and families at the Child and Family Counseling Center, PLLC, said SAD is more than just feeling down.

“Many people may experience increased sadness during the winter months,” Bentel said.

“However, SAD is a specific diagnosis which is more severe and recurrent.”

The treatment for SAD includes a combination of vitamin D supplementation, antidepressant medication and counseling. Additionally, to treat mild cases, one can engage in self-care such as monitoring mood and energy levels, taking advantage of available sunlight and approaching the winter season with a positive attitude.

A freshman suffering from SAD who wished to remain anonymous shared how she tries to alleviate her symptoms with daily exercise and journaling. However, when symptoms progress, SAD sufferers should reach out for help.

“It is important to seek help when you notice symptoms are impairing your daily functioning and are happening on more days than not,” Bentel said. “Also, if you have thoughts of selfharm or suicide, seek help immediately.”

Millions of people suffer from SAD and depression, but help is available.

“I would tell anyone struggling that it gets better and they are not alone,” the student said.

Ways to relieve symptoms of SAD . Get help. If you think you may be depressed, see a healthcare provider as soon as possible. . Set realistic goals in light of the depression. Don’t take on too much.

Break large tasks into small ones, set priorities, and do what you can as you can. . Try to be with other people and confide in someone. It is usually better than being alone and secretive. . Do things that make you feel better. Going to a movie, gardening, or taking part in religious, social, or other activities may help. Doing something nice for someone else can also help you feel better. . Get regular exercise. . Expect your mood to get better slowly, not right away. Feeling better takes time. . Eat healthy, well-balanced meals. . Delay big decisions until the depression has lifted. Before deciding to make a significant transition—change jobs, get married or divorced—discuss it with others who know you well and have a more objective view of your situation. . Remember: People rarely “snap out of” a depression, but they can feel a little better day-by-day. . Try to be patient and focus on the positives. This may help replace the negative thinking that is part of the depression. The negative thoughts will disappear as your depression responds to treatment. . Let your family and friends help you.

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

11

Students find regular physical activity plays significant role in mental health Olivia Garcia, Staff Writer, and Jane Clark, Staff Writer

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unior Sarah Roberts participates in St. Mark’s varsity cheer, varsity swimming and JV lacrosse. She exercises outside of these sports regularly, running with her dad and doing yoga classes. Without this regular physical activity, Roberts notices a loss of energy and motivation.

“It was hard at the beginning of the pandemic when there were no sports. I’ve been in organized sports for so long that without it I felt sluggish and unmotivated to get stuff done,” Roberts said.

For Roberts, sports act not just as exercise but also a mental break from school work and the stress that comes along with it.

“I focus better on my homework when I’ve worked out and it’s a good way to take a break from school because it can be all-consuming at times,” Roberts said.

According to the CDC, regular physical activity sharpens your levels of learning, thinking and judgment skills. It also reduces risk of depression, anxiety and sleeping difficulties.

Coach Adaku Ebeniro teaches half of the sophomore health classes. One major emphasis of the class is keeping not just your body, but also your mind healthy. Ebeniro recommends exercising 30-60 minutes a day five times a

week to maintain regular physical activity which benefits your mental health.

“Physical activity does wonders for your mental health but primarily releases endorphins that improve your mood and increase eustress, the good kind of stress,” Ebeniro said.

Ebeniro teaches that any exercises encouraging breathing and focus prove to be effective.

“Even a 10-minute yoga session or 20-minute HIT (High Intensity Interval Training) class can do wonders for your mood,” Ebeniro said.

Sophomore Sarah Connolly participates in cheer with Roberts, plays on the varsity soccer team and runs track. Like Roberts, Connolly has noticed the connection between physical activity and productivity.

“It is really hard for me to focus my energy on school work right away, so being able to go outside, be with other girls and enjoy the weather takes my mind off of school which helps me get my work done more productively when I get home from sports,” Connolly said.

Others have commented on the difference in Connolly’s mental health when she is more physically active.

“My mom often points out that when I am

To Listen or Not to Listen: Self-care podcasts Libby Hill, Photo Editor

It was the beginning of quarantine when my podcast obsession began. Sick of listening to the same songs, I clicked on the Podcast app on my phone. Instantly, I loved them. On my walks, while driving and even while getting dressed for the day, there’s a friendly voice in the background. I listened to some of the best mental health podcasts for advice and meditations, and some were better than others. Here’s the scoop.

participating in a sport that I am a lot more productive and focused on my school work and I just seem a lot livelier in general,” Connolly said.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, physical activity plays a role in preventing mental health problems while improving quality of life for people who do experience these problems.

Junior Leena Mehendale, who participates in varsity and club soccer, cross country and track, said reducing physical activity affects her school work, and in turn causes even more stress, negatively impacting her mental health.

“Even though I have more time when I’m not playing sports, it feels like I am less productive and less efficient in all of my work,” Mehendale said. “Then that starts to stress me out and it kind of spirals from there.”

To avoid this excessive stress, Mehendale recommends physical activity that suits each student as an individual.

“There are so many ways of exercising, you can find a way of working out that you enjoy and if you stick with that, it will definitely make you a lot happier,” Mehendale said.

Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain You know her, you love her and her Youtube videos. Her podcast certainly doesn’t disappoint. Emma is very vulnerable and open with her own struggles with anxiety and gives realistic advice from someone who has “really been there.” Most episodes are around an hour or so, but it flew by!

5/5

Radio Headspace

NPR’s Life Kit

Sleep With Me

Since every episode is about five minutes long, this podcast is the perfect quick mental reset (and the host has a British accent!!) There are over 200 episodes to choose from, and I loved the two episodes I listened to: “Appreciate the journey” and “Have you felt your feelings?” I just wish they had more variety for free, but you have to subscribe to their app for that.

I often worry about not having specific life skills to handle what life throws my way (current or future) — this is where this podcast comes in. Each episode lasts about 20 minutes, and they bring in experts on a variety of subjects.

Anything from “Tackling Imposter Syndrome” to “How to Relax More and Work Less” to “How to improve your credit score.” Most of the current episodes are tailored to the pandemic, too — which I love.

I had really high hopes for this podcast — a nighttime story I could listen to that would calm me down before I fell asleep.

But when I started to listen one night, there were very few positives. Firstly, the narrator has a bad voice (sorry), an advertisement started playing during my story, and they need to cut to the chase a bit more. Each episode is about 75 minutes long, and it takes 10 minutes for him to get into the story! Overall, I was sorely disappointed.

3.5/5

5/5

1/5

Get Moving!

Whether it be a brief stretch break or a morning jog, every step is a win. In fact, a 2017 study found that fiveminute walks throughout the day can lift moods and reduce lethargy. By releasing endorphins, exercises induces positive changes in the brain, promoting neural growth and reducing inflammation. It can even create new brain activity patterns that enhance your well-being.

Prioritize quality sleep.

Not only does sleep play a major role in learning and memory, it is also the time when your immune system handles bacteria and viruses. Restful slumber can help you ward off illnesses and balance your hormones. Additionally, a good night’s rest (or even a 15 minute power nap) can often give you a mood boost, helping you prepare for the day ahead. Shoot for 7-8 hours of sleep every night!

Write a journal entry.

Journaling can help you gain control of your emotions. By providing clarity on problems and helping you work through your thoughts, writing has been shown to reduce stress.

Volunteer.

Giving back to others can truly help you feel better as well. Volunteering can not only help induce physical activity, but also help your mind to fight feelings of stress, anger and anxiety. When volunteering, you get the opportunity to give back to your community, and possibly meet and interact with people at the same time. Some of the largest volunteer opportunities in the Dallas area include Habitat for Humanity, North Texas Food Bank and Operation Kindness.

Check up on your neighbors!

The support and kindness of a neighbor can go a long way, so show some to yours!

Just a simple call, or conversation with your neighbors can create a new friendship, and also give you someone new to talk to. If you wanted to go the extra mile, you could even bake a neighbor a sweet treat, which would definitely make someone’s day.

Art by Tess Benedict, Contributing Artist

Write cards to first responders.

First responders and frontline workers have been even harder at work due to the pandemic. That being said, it is important to make sure we show our thanks and appreciation for all that they do. Take a few minutes out of your day to make a card or write a letter for first responders. This small gesture could truly brighten their day, and let our heroes know how much we appreciate them.

One of the largest national organizations for letter writing is Operation Gratitude; however, you can find a local fire or police station and give them your cards as well.

13 Phone a friend.

We are human beings with a need to communicate, and the best way to do that while social distancing is through video calling or speaking over the phone. FaceTime camp friends, teammates or even grandparents! Reminisce with that cousin you haven’t spoken to in years. Think about someone you are thankful for, call them, and tell them why!

Maybe you’ll make someone’s day in addition to your own.

Schedule movie marathons.

Now’s your chance to watch every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! With Disney Plus GroupWatch, Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) and Hulu Watch Party, it’s easy to schedule a weekly movie with friends and family.

Eat Well.

12 Ways to be Kind Social relationships bind our communities together. By prioritizing everyday interactions and finding meaningful ways to connect with the people around us, we can better support each other.

Here are 12 ways to be kind to ourselves and others.

A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and unprocessed grains gives your brain the high-quality nutrition it needs. In fact, 95 percent of your serotonin — a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep, appetite, and moods — is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, according to Dr. Eva Selhub, who works at Harvard Medical School. This means healthy, well-balanced meals can help you feel your best!

Support a local restaurant Treat yourself to going out once in a while. We can all get caught up in the struggle of trying to eat healthy and make our own food at home, but the reality is that eating out once and a while is a treat! Going to support a local business will give you a chance to try new foods and support locals trying to start their restaurant. Just a few restaurants that you could start with are Maple Leaf Diner, Del Sur Tacos and SoCo Coffee House and Bistro.

Kelsey Chen, Jade Editor, and Lacy Green, Sports Editor

Plan game nights.

Grab your picnic basket!

Unwind with some fresh air, sunshine, good food and friends.

Humans need to spend time in our natural environment to boost our mental health. One study has shown that merely sitting outside can lower blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol levels, indicating a more relaxed state. In fact, spending time in nature enhances the immune system, leading researchers to conclude that nature therapy will play an increasingly important role in preventive medicine.

From virtual games on Jackbox to old-school Monopoly, game nights exercise your brain and bring people together. It’s a great way to bond with new friends and reconnect with others. Check out Backyard.co, which lets you play virtual games with up to 12 people on Zoom. The 18 different games feature crosswords, chess, poker and Wordplay, which is similar to Cards Against Humanity.

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Distance learning impacts students’ well-being and mental health

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s a distance learner, senior Sriya Chebrolu acknowledges the negatives while valuing the benefits to her mental health.

Senior Cece Tribolet, on the other hand, finds distance learning ineffective and said she learns best in person. Their experiences illustrate how COVID-related changes have affected students with different learning styles.

For Chebrolu, a downside is the amount of time spent on screens. On an average school day, Chebrolu spends about 14 hours online, including school, television and time on her phone. However, she said distance learning has allowed her to control her schedule and working environment. With more control over their academic and personal lives, some students said they are able to work more productively.

Although distance learning offers opportunities, it takes away a major part of the learning experience: interactions with peers and teachers.

For some, including Tribolet, the lack of structure also poses challenges.

“For me, what made distance learning hard was that I had some trouble focusing,” Tribolet said. “I felt more distracted at home and couldn’t find a way to get myself to pay full attention to what was going on in all of my classes.”

While teachers and students both have been affected by distance learning, the community is adopting new ways to learn in this environment.

Staff members including counselors and learning specialists have offered help and support from the beginning.

Distance Learning: A Broader Picture

Counselors have reached out to distance learners, typically over Zoom, to assess each of their unique situations and provide support where needed. Members of the boarding staff also are working with distance learners to help with adjustments.

Upper School counselor Raquel McKinney helps students deal with the unique circumstances of this year.

“Many students are taking the initiative to accept the counselors’ reach-out,” McKinney said. “One of the most rewarding parts of my job as a counselor is witnessing a student take a deep breath and say… ‘Whew, I feel better!’ Not every visit will end on that note and that is okay; however, most times, the act of sharing feelings can be the best place to start.”

McKinney said feelings students have experienced while in distance learning include isolation, anxiety about staying on track, stress due to family financial hardships and a change in family living dynamics, lack of motivation and depression.

“Distance learning comes with difficulties because you are more likely to lose friends and feel isolated,” Chebrolu said. “It gets stressful when I’m not able to hear or ask questions to my

“

Julia Donovan, Castoff Editor, and Juliana Blazek, Staff Writer

“It’s helpful to pause and reflect on activities that are rejuvenating and to prioritize those activities.

While it’s challenging for many of us to prioritize these types of activities, it’s important to do exactly that to increase our productivity and quality output when doing academic and/or professional work.”

-Nicole Lalanne, Upper School Learning Specialist

teacher because they might be busy with their in-person students.”

Overall, however, Chebrolu said distance learning has benefited her.

“I think distance learning has actually improved my mental health because I feel much happier being able to spend more time with my family,” Chebrolu said. “I also have more time to study and get my homework done without having to stay after school for sports and then drive two or more hours everyday to get home.”

Claire Tate, a senior and on-campus student, decided distance learning was not for her.

“Through my experience as both a distance and in-person learner, I have come to find that distance learning does not align with my needs as a student,” Tate said. “During distance learning periods, I found myself struggling to focus in class and not managing my time sufficiently during free periods or breaks. I feel as though in-person learning has helped me establish structure in my schedule and has kept me from procrastinating.”

To offer help with the downsides of distance learning during form meetings, form deans have presented information on self-care and avoiding burnout. Along with this, Wellness Wednesday videos highlight common mental health struggles and provide coping plans.

“It is easy to focus on the negatives associated with distance learning and it certainly has potential to take an emotional toll on students; however, our students are resilient,” McKinney said. “Students do not need to be in the middle of a major crisis to benefit from talking to a counselor. We are here on campus and online for every Hockadaisy, and we enjoy meeting with you.”

Technology Overload

Some of the most pressing concerns about distance learning are those surrounding technology. Since the start of COVID-19, screen time has been increasing through both computer and phone usage.

Zoom meetings can cause fatigue, especially when students have multiple throughout the day, technology specialists report. Moreover, the virtual meetings can create over-stimulation from distractions. Because the class meetings are required, the most important action for students is taking care of themselves and making sure to communicate with teachers.

“I think that eight hours is too much screen time,” Candace Townsley, Upper School Technology Integration Specialist, said.

“Scientific data has been proven that kids are getting too much screen time and that was even before COVID and distance learning.”

With students sitting in front of their computers for most of the day, it is vital they take breaks from looking at the screen to stay engaged. Learning while on Zoom can result in disengagement between the teachers and their students, and it can be hard for students

15 to successfully learn when not in a classroom.

“As a former teacher, I can see in their eyes and in their body language if they are understanding the material,” Townsley said. “Teachers don’t know how to change their teaching when they can’t read the body language of their students.”

McKinney said some tips that can be helpful in avoiding distractions while online are taking breaks before and after each meeting, changing your screen view, and focusing on one task at a time.

Chebrolu has created tactics for herself to help her stay focused and maintain motivation while being in distance learning.

“I create checklists and a schedule for myself,” Chebrolu said, “then I make sure to complete certain tasks every day.”

Townsley praised both students and teachers for adapting to the unique circumstances of the year.

“I think that everyone is doing a great job with the girls and teachers both becoming tech savvy and learning how to use Zoom,” Townsley said, “I’m just really proud of our faculty and what they have done in addition to the girls being patient and tolerant of the big learning curve.”

Distance Learning with Learning Disabilities

While all students have had to adapt to

changes associated with COVID, those with learning disabilities have dealt with unique challenges. Nicole Lalanne, Upper School learning specialist, provides support for both oncampus and off-campus students.

“If a student experiences challenges with motivation in class, this missing ingredient will inevitably impact a student in distance learning with greater struggle across all parts of learning, from deeply engaging in content and asking questions to adequately preparing for summative assignments,” Lalanne said.

Distance learning has been a special challenge for any student with developing executive functioning skills, like ADHD. Online students have to manage their own engagement and focus in class and outside.

Sophomore Millie Trumpower said she finds it difficult to stay focused in distance learning and prefers to go to school in person.

“When we were in distance learning, there were many distractions around my house like my dogs barking or construction noises that made it really hard for me to pay attention and focus during my classes,” Trumpower said.

“Sometimes I would actually have to go to my dad’s office in order to be in an environment where it is really quiet so that I can focus better.”

After the school moved to having regular oncampus classes, Trumpower found it easier to be engaged in her classes.

“I prefer in-person learning because not only do I get to see my friends, but my teachers make sure that I am staying on track and paying attention, unlike when I am at home,” Trumpower said.

Learning support specialists regularly check in with students by email to track their progress and offer aid. They also reach out to students if a teacher or advisor thinks they need additional support. Providing help for students could include identifying strategies, developing skills and finding resources to assist the student’s emotional and academic needs.

“We might also identify extrinsic motivators for follow-through,’’ Lalanne said. “If it’s important to you to exercise, downloading the app Strava with other friends may help with motivation since your friends can track and like your workouts.”

Building a routine that balances work and self-care can benefit anyone working from home.

This could include creating a daily checklist to determine how much time to devote to each task.

“It’s helpful to pause and reflect on activities that are rejuvenating and to prioritize those activities,” Lalanne said. “While it’s challenging for many of us to prioritize these types of activities, it’s important to do exactly that to increase our productivity and quality output when doing academic and/or professional work.”

Art by Kylee Hong, Contributing Artist

16

Breaking Down the Burnout Barrier Ava Berger, Fourcast Editor-in-Chief, and Charlotte Rogers, Features Editor

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n a recent Fourcast survey, 119 Hockaday students responded to the definition of a burnout and the question: Have you ever experienced a burnout? Every student answered “yes.” While this reply was consistent, burnout can materialize in different ways and with different causes.

Identifying burnout

Upper School counselor Ashley Ferguson said common signs of burnout include insomnia, when a person is exhausted but can’t fall asleep; and anxiety, to the point where a person makes mental lists of tasks while imagining completing them would be more draining than anything they’ve ever experienced. Burnout also presents itself through a lack of empathy, when a person feels numb to experiencing emotion; an inability to find joy or pleasure; and a tendency to cry over small things.

Just as the signs may differ, so may the effects on different individuals. Licensed Professional Counselor Gina Bolanos said to identify a burnout, a person’s “baseline” must be identified. This baseline “mental health and wellness functioning” is based on factors such as cognitive, attentional and academic abilities.

“When you’re feeling burned out, you feel more drained than you do fulfilled,” Bolanos said. “You may feel like you’re putting in more than what you’re getting back in return, whether it feels as specific as within a friendship, relationship, an academic goal or a general feeling of being drained.”

Ferguson also emphasized the concept of a person’s baseline with a term she calls a “window of tolerance,” referring to how much a person can tolerate on a normal day. When a person is

or on the verge of a mental breakdown, one could be possible in the near future. People can experience mental breakdowns and high levels of anxiety without having a burnout or have a specific medical condition, like bipolar depression.

In her experience, Ferguson hears students use the word “burnout” more than words such as “breakdown.”

“Mental breakdown implies that something’s wrong with me, and I’m not going to get better,;that’s honestly what I hear,” Ferguson said. “The thought is admitting that I’m having a hard time and the thought of admitting that I am emotionally struggling, that’s too hard. Now, burnout, that’s a little bit easier for students to work with because, you know, we have students who feel burned out constantly.”

If a student feels any burnout symptoms, Ferguson recommends they visit her sooner rather than later.

“Don’t wait until you’re already broken, and then we have to figure out how to pick two pieces up,” Ferguson said. “Don’t wait until you’re behind in English and Spanish to try to figure out a solution because it’s much more overwhelming.”

Burnout in Students

Freshman Shafa Hussain said her burnouts stem from schoolwork and the worry that develops as her the number and weight of her assignments escalate.

“For math, there’s so much extra work because I need to scan it, get it all on Onenote, and then part of me thinks, ‘Well it doesn’t even count towards our grade, why do I need to take time and effort to do it?’” Hussain said.

Junior Cate Goglia experiences burnout with changes in her normal schedule.

“I think it’s a dramatic change in an environment.

I work really well in a busy environment,” Goglia said. “So there was one week before Christmas break and everything was shut down. I didn’t have all of the activities that I normally go to. These activities, even though I’m really busy, bring me little joy bubbles, and without my normal schedule, I don’t get them.”

Senior Zaria Aquart pointed to Zoom classes in distace learning as the cause of her burnout this year, but said she still experienced burnout in person last year.

“When I’m in person, it’s more of a physical burnout because I can’t flop in my bed in between classes, but being on Zoom it’s more of an emotional burnout because mentally I’m exhausted by the end of the week,” Aquart said.

From a counselor’s standpoint, Ferguson has seen burnout in students this year due to increased anxiety because they cannot control or manage certain situations they normally would

“There is no shame in feeling burnout. There isn’t a single person I’ve run into that hasn’t experienced that feeling at some point in their life. You are not alone.”

-Ashley Ferguson, Upper School Counselor experiencing burnout, their window gets smaller and smaller.

“Your ability to tolerate emotions that you normally would be able to process and make it through, you no longer can,” Ferguson said. “You just can’t; you can’t,” Confusion surrounding burnout often comes from the use of words such as “emotional breakdown” and “mental breakdown.” Ferguson said even if a person doesn’t feel burned out

be able to. She said she has seen it manifest in two main ways: grades and overscheduling.

“We’re finding that students are falling behind in academics, and not necessarily because they don’t know how to do it, just because they can’t find the motivation to actually get it done,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson said academic burnout has become a cycle because students fall behind on assignments, which causes them to feel overwhelmed, which causes their overall anxiety to rise.

“You just kind of go deeper and deeper and deeper into the cycle, and most students hard time pulling themselves out of the cycle,” Ferguson said.

Overscheduling is also a common theme.

“So help me understand how you expect to combat burnout when you don’t have any downtime and you’re overscheduled,” Ferguson said. “So you have to think and choose when you are experiencing burnout, what you need to let go of. Just let it go for the time being, take a break from it, take a hiatus from it, because if your mental health is suffering, how can you give somebody what you don’t have?

“It’s the start of a new semester, but you’ve kind of given everything you had in the first semester, and by this time you’re tired,” Ferguson said. “You’re exhausted, you are ready for a break and you still have exams. You say to yourself, ‘How much more do I have to give?’’’

Solutions to Burnout

Just like everything else surrounding burnout, solutions vary from person to person.

While people handle their mental health differently, there are key day-to-day practices that could help resolve burnout and prevent it in the long run.

“One tangible thing that I encourage everyone to do is to, regardless if you journal and regardless of who you want to talk to, talk to someone,” Ferguson said. “When we suffer in silence, our symptoms and struggles appear to be much bigger and much more unmanageable than they actually are.”

Ferguson recommended finding a trusted adult figure to rely on as mental health support to help shorten a burnout and relieve its lasting effects. Day-to-day habits she suggest students incorporate include eating breakfast, creating boundaries for different aspects of life, such as technology in the bedroom, and getting up and moving.

“The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics says that seven minutes (at least) of patterned, repetitive movement helps to calm down your brain and helps you to think clearly — so be active!” Ferguson said.

Ferguson also refers to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to help students combat burnout.

The hierarchy is a pyramid with a person’s most basic needs at the bottom, then physical needs and then emotional needs. Ferguson tells students they need to focus on their basic needs such as food and rest before they can move up the pyramid.

“At the bottom of that pyramid are sleep, food

17 and physical activities: the very things that help you survive on a day-to-day basis are the exact same things that help you combat burnout,” Ferguson said. “So if you’re not giving your body the basic needs for survival, how do you expect to get better?”

Unhappiness, which is a main source of burnouts, often stems from a mundane routine, so to avoid burnouts students can integrate change and pleasurable activities into their daily schedule. For example, Ferguson said she enjoys DIY projects. Goglia includes mindfulness practices in her daily life such as yoga, walks around the block and listening to music.

“I know music helps me so I have like 20,000 playlists on Spotify that I usually queue up in the morning,” Goglia said, “which helps to hype me up without feeling like the songs are mocking me.”

However, there is no easy fix. Freshman Stella Wrubel said she still fights burnout despite using many of these methods.

“I’m still dealing with the burnout, and I honestly haven’t fixed it,” Wrubel said. “I have no motivation and I cannot bring back the enthusiastic presence I had before the stress began this year. It’s really hard, as I have always been a curious and present person who participated with excitement, and I hope I can find a way out of it.”

What can Hockaday do?

Ferguson explained that taking mental health seriously, erasing the stigma and eliminating the jokes around it are all important things Hockaday can do to help combat burnout among students, faculty and staff. She noted mental health awareness continues to improve and conversations surrounding anxiety, burnout and mental breakdowns have become common to hear on campus.

“I think if people knew what to call ‘mental health’ and really knew what it meant, then they would talk about it more,” Ferguson said.

“These conversations that are taking place are important, and they help people to realize that burnouts are common and that there is no shame in feeling ‘burned out.’”

Ferguson said she hopes to introduce a semester-long course to juniors and seniors that purely focuses on mental health, believing it would help to inform and change the school’s view of mental health. Goglia said she supports the idea of a mental health course and said such a class could teach students how to navigate and approach their own mental health issues and those of others.

“One beneficial thing that Hockaday could do would be training teachers to sense burnouts in their students and coworkers,” Goglia said. “Or replacing freshmen Daisy Days with mental health training sessions would be rewarding because it allows those good habits to set in early.”

Although Goglia said she agrees one-on-one conversations are important to prevent burnout and nourish one’s mental health, she said the change will start when the “big conversation” is between more than two people.

“It takes more than two people to get a job done, especially in such a strong-rooted environment like Hockaday,” Goglia said.

Hussain said she has learned to cope with her anxiety and cycle of burnouts and burnout symptoms in preparation for college, instead of relying on Hockaday.

“The school system is so focused on turning in assignments, not really learning what I need to learn. Like in math, I feel the need to learn one unit and memorize it and then just move onto the next one to do well,” Hussain said.

Although there is no clear path to erasing the stigma and jokes around mental health, Ferguson said each day brings a new opportunity for individuals to take care of themselves, confide in each other and have those meaningful conversations.

“I just want to reiterate that there is no shame in feeling burnout. There isn’t a single person I’ve run into that hasn’t experienced that feeling at some point in their life,” Ferguson said. “You are not alone.”

Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs

Self-Actualization: achieving one’s full potential

Abraham Maslow proposed this theory in his 1943 paper “A theory of Esteem: respect Human Motivation.” and feeling of According to the psychologist, accomplishment individuals must satisfy lower level deficit needs before Belonging and love: progressing on to meet higher intimate relationships, family level growth connections and friends needs.

Safety: employment, health, finances and personal security

Biological and physiological needs: food, water, warmth, rest

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The Role of Race in Mental Health Zoe Cote, Staff Writer, and Zoya Haq, Staff Writer

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he 21st century has seen lots of conversation about race, gender and identity, and the mental health movement has become a key player in these “woke” conversations, glorified as “destigmatizing,” and inclusive. However, research shows the movement is not nearly as inclusive as its advertisement claims. Former and current Hockaday students and local therapists have made it their goal to diversify the mental health field.

Alumna Zaria Osimetha founded The Dallas Student Advocacy Coalition last summer in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. The SAC Dallas strives to fight injustice through education, Osimetha said.

“When you’re addressing any topic, white people are more likely to be given a platform than

became increasingly aware of the lack of the mental health resources and infrastructure in their communities that predominantly white communities boasted. The combination of systemic racism and what they saw as the hypocritical message being preached by white mental health initiatives led to the genesis of racial trauma therapy and the establishment of the Healing Youth Alliance.

The Healing Youth Alliance is a Baltimore nonprofit founded by Black teens promoting “unapologetically Black” mental health curriculum, “anchored by the experiences of Black change-makers in history and set in the context of systemic racism.”

The Healing Youth Alliance has elicited a widespread reaction in the mental health

“Being Afro-Latina, it really empowers me to see people happy that I speak their language. Imagine trying to express yourself, and express a deep part of yourself, and then you have to explain your culture on top of that. You’re not there to educate the counselor, you’re there to really heal yourself.”

-Litza Bodden,

Licensed Professional Counselor a Black person or person of color with the exact same statistics and experience,” she said. “Race plays a role in everything in this country.”

Osimetha calls on her experience as a Black American grappling with her own mental health.

“In a lot of minority cultures, African and African American cultures especially, mental health is really stigmatized because of the culture,” Osimetha said. “I’m not even sure why exactly that is, but I know that my approach to discussing my mental health with my family and friends has definitely changed because of it. It seems like I always need to have a justification for my mental health.”

Osimetha said she was frustrated with the lack of diverse mental health advocates and gears SAC events to spotlight topics like microaggressions, internalization and the mental health stressors of racial injustice.

“These Black mental advocates target Black kids and Black people in general because we recognize that white people are not actively trying to include us, and I would say it is fairly white-washed,” Osimetha said. “And that’s not to say that there aren’t resources for Black people but I think the people with the largest platforms, the largest recognition, the most ‘pull’ in society are white.”

During the widespread mental-health struggle caused by the pandemic, Black teens

community after being featured in the Washington Post. The initiative poses the question, “Who is included in the mental health narrative and who is not?” The Washington Post article reported studies show Black Americans report more symptoms of depression, hopelessness and anxiety than their white counterparts.

The Dallas Mental Health Project is an outreach initiative launched this fall by sophomore Savannah Frederiksen as part of her U.S. Government class. Frederiksen found research suggesting more than 50 percent of Black Americans with serious mental illness received inadequate or no mental health services in 2018.

Frederiksen shares her outrage with the mental health community’s neglect toward Black Americans.

“I believe that mental health treatment unfairly favors the white and the socioeconomically advantaged,” Frederiksen said. “Race and ethnicity are topics largely ignored by mental health media.”

Only 4 percent of professionals in the mental health field are Black, according to the American Psychology Association. Dr. Litza Bodden, a Plano-based psychologist, said such an overwhelming lack of mental health professionals of color pushes Black and other ethnominority individuals to feel less comfortable seeking mental health aid.

To combat this dearth of mental health professionals of color and provide resources to those seeking therapy, online initiatives like Therapy for Black Girls, a service aiming to connect girls of color with professionals of color, have significantly grown in popularity over the last decade.

Dr. Bodden uses the database to share her services, and noted the importance of diverse perspectives in the mental health field.

“I got into this field because I felt, as a woman of color, our voices needed to be heard,” Bodden said. “The levels of diversity in the field are just not picking up.”

Bodden said her ability to relate to clients helps her build a stronger, more open relationship with them.

“Our clients need to see themselves in us,” she said. “Being Afro-Latina, it really empowers me to see people happy that I speak their language.

People are happy that I understand the way they talk and the little things, like cultural colloquialisms, that I get right away without them having to explain it. That helps build the connection. Imagine trying to express yourself, and express a deep part of yourself, and then you have to explain your culture on top of that.

You’re not there to educate the counselor, you’re there to really heal yourself.”

21%

of patients are from Black and minority ethnic groups, although they represent only 7% of the population.

Black people and minorities are: 19-39% more likely to be admitted into mental health facilities involuntarily Less likely to be offered psychotherapy More likely to be offered drugs More likely to be treated by coercion, even after socioeconomic and diagnostic differences are taken into account Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information

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Help, Not Handcuffs Responses to mental health crises should be handled by trained professionals rather than police officers.

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hristian Hall stood with his arms up, his body shaking. Cars raced underneath the Pennsylvania overpass he stood on, but for him, time had stopped. A few dozen feet away, armed police officers desperately called out to him. And then, in what felt like no time at all, there was nothing.

In the midst of a mental health crisis, the 19-year-old Chinese American was shot and killed by police officers attempting to dissuade him from committing suicide. In an effort to prevent a life from being lost, the police only assisted in expediting the process.

Hall’s story is not unique: according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, nearly a quarter of fatal encounters with police are related to mental health issues. An entire method of committing suicide, suicide by cop, relies on the fact that improperly trained police officers will kill someone when faced with a mental health crisis. These facts are shocking: shouldn’t our emergency response teams be equipped with the tools necessary to deal with any kind of situation?

Whether or not the answer is yes, the fact of the matter remains that police officers simply cannot be trusted to act appropriately when people are struggling with mental health. Because of this, it is of utmost importance that we replace our emergency response teams with mental health professionals to ensure that everyone receives the care they deserve.

The current system of dealing with mental health crises is entirely inadequate. When a person calls 911, a police officer is automatically

Headspace:

Initially centered around mindfulness practices and meditation, Headspace has since expanded, now aiming to help users manage everyday anxiety and stress, sleep more soundly, be active, try new activities and stay focused. With resources like Sleepcasts, Mindful Cardio, classes on developing a mindful relationship with money and exercises to improve focus, Headspace covers numerous bases thoroughly, serving as the perfect app for any user seeking resources across a variety of areas. Better still, with features like “Journey,” which tracks your stress over time via monthly check-ins, or community-based activities like group meditation, Headspace stood out to me as the best app that helped motivate users to stay involved. Starting at $69.99/year or $5.99/ month, though, Headspace Plus comes at a hefty fee for a casual user.

Daylio:

Daylio offers a virtual space to keep a personal diary with you at all times. With endless options on color schemes, icons, categories of life to track and concise mood options to log, each user can easily personalize their experience and set goals. Especially given the cost of $23.99/ year or $2.99/month for Daylio Premium, I recommend potential users stick with the oldfashioned paper and pen, which may serve as a better financial investment in the long run and encourage more in-depth self-reflection.

Opinion dispatched to the site of the crisis without a consultation as to whether their assistance is the most appropriate response. This premature action often leads to dangerous escalations that could easily be prevented by more carefully evaluating the circumstances.

Even if an individual struggling with their mental health is not killed during an initial encounter with the police, they are often sent to prisons or jails, which are not equipped to properly care for them. In fact, this is such a common occurrence that over 20 percent of the people in prisons and jails across the country have a mental illness, and it is more likely that a mentally ill person will live in a jail cell than a psychiatric unit or hospital, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center.

These statistics should not be normalized.

With the National Institute of Mental Health reporting that nearly one in five adults in the United States lives with a mental illness, we as a nation should be deeply concerned about the lack of proper care for our own family and friends.

Recently, more cities and states are saying yes: California, Colorado, and Oregon have all made efforts to establish programs that take dealing with mental health issues away from police officers.

In Denver, the Support Team Assisted Response program diverts incidents involving nonviolent individuals into the hands of health

Mental Health Apps: Worth It? As discussions on the importance of tending to mental health have proliferated, numerous apps have emerged to serve this very purpose: helping users practice self care and better habits to benefit their mental health. Here, I’ve tried four of the most popular mental-health related apps to tell you which are worth your while.

Laine Betanzos, Copy Editor

Maddie Stout, Arts & Life Editor care professionals. The team consists of a mental health clinician and a paramedic, and according to The Denverite its response to low-level incidents successfully resulted in zero arrests or police involvement in its the first six months.

CAHOOTS, a similar program in Eugene, Oregon, has also yielded positive results, assisting in 24,000 incidents in 2019 alone. According to White Bird Clinic, only 150 of those required police assistance at all.

The city of San Francisco has taken it one step further: according to NPR, as of October 2020 the city planned to redirect the majority of behavioral crisis calls to the fire and health departments, not police officers. The endeavor serves as the largest urban effort of its kind to date.

From the success of these smaller programs, it’s glaringly obvious that they should be replicated on a larger scale throughout the entire country.

With nation-wide implementation, major positive change can be made surrounding the way the country deals with mental health emergencies.

Not only will struggling individuals receive the proper care they deserve, but police officers can divert their attention to crises they have actually been trained to deal with.

Ultimately, it is crucial that the country makes these changes as soon as possible.

Nobody deserves to die like Christian Hall did, and everybody deserves proper care, especially in an uncontrollable mental health crisis. With the alteration of our current police department’s response to mental health crises in exchange for teams of trained professionals, we can and will save millions of lives.

Grateful:

Grateful, a gratitude journal app, aims to promote increased clarity and appreciation of life, focus on what truly matters and reminders of blessings, big and small. Each day, Grateful asks an open-ended prompt users can answer with an entry of any length. Prompts include “What are you grateful for?”; “What are you looking forward to?”; “What made you smile today?”; and many more. With the opportunity to add a tag, notes or photos to entries, Grateful is a great option for users looking to chronicle the positives in their lives. At only $9.99/year or $0.83/month for first-time users, Grateful steals the spot of most cost-effective option on this list, and serves as a perfect entry point for users looking to explore virtual mental health spaces without a larger financial commitment.

Pzizz:

Pzizz provides dynamic audio designed to help users get great sleep. Offering to set reminders for when to go to bed, take a nap or focus, Pzizz hopes to help users form positive habits through self-care in the form of sufficient sleep. Pzizz Premium offers access to all Dreamscapes, Narrations, Focuscapes and other app features, costing $49.99/year or $4.17/ month, but because these features are most useful during unconscious sleep, I found the app to be less helpful than advertised, especially considering the subscription fee.

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Pro: TikTok promotes body positivity With a variety of TikTok accounts spreading awareness promoting body positivity, the app can be used to gain confidence.

Sasha Schwimmer, News Editor

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ocial media can easily make people feel terrible about themselves. As I scroll on TikTok, one minute I’m watching Charlie D’Amelio dancing with her Dunkin Donuts cup, and the next moment, I’m bombarded with a 14-year-old girl telling me that she drinks water for lunch and eats celery for dinner to “stay skinny.”

I can’t imagine the negative impact this content has on teens who are particularly vulnerable to external messages, considering the average user spends 52 minutes each day

Embracing the body she has grown to love, she dances in clothing that exposes excess skin and fat, aiming to combat the stigma that body fat correlates to poor health or less beauty.

Gomez has encouraged fans overcoming eating disorders and relieved girls who see an influencer with their same body type. Despite the fact that the average American woman wears a size 16, most influencers and celebrities are size 0 or 2, which further promotes unrealistic body image expectations.

“I was picking up food in my hometown with one of my best friends, and a group of young girls came up to me with tears in their eyes and kind of swarmed me,” Gomez said, “telling me how much I mean to them and thanking me for inspiring them to be more confident and not care so much what people think of them.”

Kristine Thompson (@ trendycurvy) promotes self-love and confidence through fashion on her TikTok. Thompson is the creator and designer of a plussized clothing line called Kin By Kristine. She uses her platform to provide style advice for plussized women. This is wonderful, because it allows representation of women of all sizes, from extra small to extra large.

When I see an influencer with the same body type as me, I feel a lot more confident and excited to try different styles. When these women don’t look like me, I would doubt I would look good and therefore am less likely to try that outfit.

Along with those suffering from negative body image, TikTok can also be a valuable tool for individuals recovering from eating disorders if the content they view is realistic, inspiring, positive and health-promoting.

Finding support from uplifting influencers and hearing their empowering experiences is crucial for people to understand eating disorders and recover from them. Therefore, TikTok can be very helpful in recovery when the user follows body positive accounts, mental health advocates and therapists.

Rianna Kish, a regular high school student, has gained approximately 32 thousand followers on TikTok due to her uplifting and inspiring content. Kish openly talks to her followers about her recent experiences recovering from bulimia and anorexia. She educates her followers about the effective ways she was able to overcome her eating disorder.

“I GOT MY LIFE BACK. That doesn’t mean

TikTok can also be a valuable tool for individuals recovering from eating disorders if the content they view is realistic, inspiring and health-promoting.

Finding support from uplifting influencers and hearing their empowering experiences is crucial for people to understand and recover from eating disorders. on the app. However, body positive influencers changing the culture surrounding body image and new features on TikTok can give a welcome change from toxic online culture.

A variety of TikTok accounts, such as those of Sienna Mae Gomez, Kristine Thompson and Rianna Kish, spread awareness about eating disorders and promote recovery, body positivity and acceptance, reminding us that all bodies are beautiful.

The most celebrated body positivity creator on TikTok right now is a 16-year-old girl named Sienna Mae Gomez, who has more than 13 million followers on TikTok. Just like Charlie D’A Melio, she dances to all of the TikTok trends, but with one exception: Gomez’ videos often contain inspiring messages or dances with her stomach out.

I’m done fighting but I get to LIVE,” Kish said on her Instagram. “I get to do so much more now than I did when I was in the depths of my eating disorder. I got a free cheesecake from superstore. AND I ATE IT. That is a win.”

Unlike negative TikTok creators, she frames eating disorder recovery in a positive light, destigmatizes therapy, talks about overcoming insecurities and loving oneself and shares coping skills she has learned. There is no doubt that Kish and similar creators have positive effects on viewers. By sharing their stories overcoming eating disorders, influencers are inspiring viewers to seek help and encouraging other people that they, too, can recover.

Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to believe damaging content will never exist online. It is largely up to social media users and the way they react to certain content.

TikTok has made strides to prohibit content that contributes to a culture of body shaming and moderate potentially upsetting content. One feature allows users to press on any video and select “not interested,” then choose to hide future videos with the same sound or from the same creator. Viewers should skip videos that promote negative body image to avoid contributing to the success of that content.

I urge everyone to unfollow and swipe up on TikTok creators who promote diet culture mentality, tout unhealthy eating habits, promote weight-loss supplements or use hateful or triggering language.

Also, I suggest only viewing content from the “following” section, because it is controlled by the user, instead of the “For You Page,” which is made up of trending videos and is governed by popular, potentially harmful content.

TikTok’s statement says one way it’s making the app safer is through its new advertisement policies. On Sept. 23, the company announced it would ban advertisements for weight loss products and fasting apps and tighten restrictions on other ads that “promote a harmful or negative body image.”

In addition, TikTok has partnered with the National Eating Disorder Association to connect users to resources directly from the app.

“We are encouraged to see a prominent platform like TikTok join the movement to End Weight Hate and challenge fatphobia,” NEDA CEO Claire Mysko said. “Social media is a powerful tool to create safe and inclusive spaces where all bodies are accepted and celebrated.”

It is commendable that TikTok has recognized the potential of damaging content and is making moves to prevent it, unlike many other social media platforms that have done nothing.T he negative influence of social media on young girls can not go unnoticed. Other media outlets should follow TikTok’s lead in the “normalize normal bodies” movement so that the mental health crisis can be slowed, or eventually even prevented.

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Con: TikTok worsens body dysmorphia Because TikTok’s algorithm favors conventionally attractive users, the app perpetuates negative body image.

Lea Whitley, Social Media Editor

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ow, you really are on eating disorder TikTok,” my sister jokes, peering over my shoulder as I scroll down my For You Page filled with “low calorie snacks,” “how to get rid of belly fat” and “what I eat in a day” videos, most of which contain no more than one real meal and a glass of water.

At first, I brush the joke off, thinking nothing of it. I’ve never had past issues with body image or an eating disorder, but I am a teenage girl.

When your screen is overcrowded with video after video of beautiful girls telling you how much they work out and how little they eat, it will undoubtedly get to you.

TikTok advertises as a virtual space of open self-expression and acceptance, but I’ve learned that these claims are the opposite of the truth.

The app creates a toxic and self-deprecating community focused on external appearance for young female users through their selective For You Page algorithm.

Common TikTok videos branded as “diet inspiration,” such as #WhatIEatInADay videos, which have accrued 5 billion views, create toxic communities where eating disorders and body image issues are encouraged.

In an interview with NBC News, Claire Mysko, CEO of National Eating Disorders Association, said extremely popular videos like

these are “actively talking about diet and fitness in a way that’s very linked to weight loss.”

Blurring the lines between fitness and eating disorders, these highly prevalent videos incline young girls like me to adopt unsafe habits to fit in, not realizing they will only cause harm to their physical and mental health.

An article recently published by the Intercept revealed that TikTok moderators are explicitly told to suppress uploads from users with “abnormal body shape,” “ugly facial looks” and any other “low quality traits.” In other words saying, if you’re not conventionally attractive, you’ll never have a chance on our app.

The company’s justification in the documents about their blatant body-shaming algorithm is to grow and retain new users by only showing them videos with “attractive and appealing” qualities.

This tactic may work in theory, but TikTok’s algorithm favoring attractive users causes far more damage than good.

Creating and advertising an unrealistic beauty standard on the app, the algorithm causes young girls to question why they aren’t represented on the For You Page, leading them to assume they are unwanted and unworthy.

The app’s algorithm is constantly learning from users, which helps to place them in communities with your similar interests.

Moderators do this in hopes of creating a sense of belonging for users, but their efforts send young females down dark holes when they fall into groups hyper-focused on body image.

There is no community or belonging on these sides of TikTok, only dangerous pressure and competition to mimic the dangerous habits viewers see on your screen.

The rise in popularity of TikTok creates an outlet for teenagers to express themselves in a wide variety of ways, but the youthful demographic and powerful recommendation algorithm occupied with countless women deemed the “standard of beauty” makes the danger of body image issues particularly high for young girls on the app.

Watching a 10-second TikTok video should not incline a teenage girl to skip dinner, make her look in the mirror and focus on what she doesn’t have or deem herself unworthy in the world of social media.

As long as the emphasis of TikTok’s algorithm is solely based on the user’s physical image and appeal, young girls will continue to base their worth on these traits when, beyond the screen, they are the qualities that matter the least.

I’ve never had past issues with body image or an eating disorder, but I am a teenage girl. When your screen is overcrowded with video after video of beautiful girls telling you how much they work out and how little they eat, it will undoubtedly get to you.

Art by Nancy Dedman, Contributing Artist

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Guest writer: Here’s to the Crazy Ones My struggles with my own mind taught me that while mental illnesses are not something we choose, we do get to choose how we manage them.

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hen I was a child, I had some major anger issues. Constantly at war with my siblings, something as minor as an insolent tone would set me off into a blinding rage. I was labeled overly sensitive, impulsive, immature, and worst of all, crazy.

As I grew older, I was forced to come to terms with mental illness, which only solidified my belief that I was, in fact, crazy. I spent years

More often than not, I do not wake up feeling brave. I do not wake up feeling like I deserve love and care, but these feelings are intangible, and they are no match for a little human determination. So, each day I rise, and I open my eyes to begin the process of convincing myself I am going to make it through the day, even though it may feel impossible. Then, I force myself outside and let nature work its magic on

I do not wake up feeling like I deserve love and care, but these feelings are intangible, and they are no match for a little human determination. So, each day I rise, and I open my eyes to begin the process of convincing myself I am going to make it through the day, even though it may feel impossible. attempting to navigate the difficulties that come with being a confused teenager suffering from the conditions of her own mind. Struggling to build healthy coping mechanisms, I developed a love/hate relationship with myself, alternating between viewing my mind as an unstoppable force and an inescapable curse.

On the one hand, I know that I am remarkably intelligent and intuitive, yet on the other hand, I lack the self-control and emotional regulation to maximize my own potential. Years of self-loathing and obsessive thought patterns further contributed to my mental health issues, effectively convincing me there was something inherently wrong with me that I did not have the strength to solve. Even worse, I believed I deserved every protruding negative thought or feeling I experienced. This mentality is quicksand, and I lost a lot of life to the despondency that followed.

So how did I overcome this? Well, to be frank, I eventually just got sick of it. I got sick of constantly feeling worthless, angry and anxious.

I got sick of having no agency over my life and my emotions. I got sick of pushing people away even though they so clearly wanted to love me.

I was sick of myself and decided it was time to change. Mental illnesses are not something we choose, but we do get to choose how we manage them. The truth is, we play a much larger role in our own suffering than we care to admit, and each day we have to decide whether or not we are going to fall victim to the demons in our minds. Choosing to take care of yourself is not an easy thing to do, and it is an ongoing process that evolves alongside us. Most importantly, this requires a lot of courage.

me. The sun is the best antidepressant out there — take advantage of it.

You will never be able to help yourself until you understand who you are. This can be difficult for people like me who are always fluctuating in their way of being, so it is vital to check in with yourself at least once a day.

I do this through writing. Written introspection is an infinitely powerful tool that allows us to discover the contents of our own minds. The unpredictability of my feelings (and life in general) requires that I carry a journal with me at all times. I write about everything, from obscure observations to my always-shifting emotional state, and when the negativity rolls like a thunderstorm into my mind, I write my way out of that darkness.

Very early on, I recognized that I had a particular gift for language and found a strength I had never known in my ability.

When life became war, poetry made a soldier out of me. Words are like salt in our emotional wounds,

and if you can persevere through the initial burning, you are ultimately more equipped to heal.

Over time I have grown into my artist’s skin, using writing to cope with and reverse the maelstrom of negative thinking that I often experience. Although this practice has proved to be cathartic, it comes with certain difficulties.

In short, nervous teenage girls who write esoteric poetry do not necessarily come off as the “sanest” people. Because of this, I tried to maintain a degree of privacy and anonymity in my writing, fearing that my raw expression would expose me as the lunatic I sometimes fear that I am.

But lately, this has been changing. Honestly, I am crazy. Absolutely insane. The 100 people and personalities who live inside me are genuine headcases. People have been calling me crazy my entire life and instead of criticizing myself for their opinions, I have finally decided to just embrace it. Crazy is my superpower. Crazy is what makes me brilliant. Crazy is the best compliment a person can get. Us “crazy” folks are the people who will run the world one day and don’t you ever let anyone convince you otherwise.

Remember that people affected by mental health issues are not any more or less capable than those who are not. We are marked with the scarlet letter “R” for resilient, for every day we rise with the sun is a testament to the strength of our spirits, and at the end of the day, we are stronger because of our struggles. Do not lose sight of this.

Stay in touch with yourself. Take control over your life and choose to handle your mind. Don’t think too hard about what other people have to say about you. And above all, stay crazy.

“Remember that people affected by mental health issues are not any more or less capable than those who are not. We are marked with the scarlet letter ‘R’ for resilient, for every day we rise with the sun is a testament to the strength of our spirits, and at the end of the day, we are stronger because of our struggles.”

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Not Screen Time, but Screen Sensibility After a week of 30-minute screen time limits, I’ve learned to be mindful about the reason I’m on my phone or laptop.

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e are afraid of this pandemic; we are afraid of getting sick, spreading the disease, and dying. We are afraid of losing our jobs and not seeing our families. So we cope: we sit down, open our computers, our smartphones and we stare. We stare at these eye-straining, energy-sucking screens just to stay connected to the things that were taken away.

Children’s screen time has increased by 60 percent as a result of the pandemic, according to Reid Health in Indiana. And this increase is taking a toll on our mental health. The blue light in smartphones has been found to cause sleep problems in teens which can cause depression, anxiety and acting out, according to a 2017 study from the Journal of Child Development.

Blue light can suppress melatonin, disrupting the natural sleep cycle.

School used to be a time where we would keep our laptops shut and our phones silenced in our backpacks. Now, the screens are connecting us across the globe to our teachers and peers.

Providence, a healthcare organization, says it best: “Combine that social media stress with non-stop video conferences and the constant feed of today’s headlines and, before you know it, you’re spiraling into a bad place.”

Apple explains its Screen Time app as a feature that “lets you know how much time you and your kids spend on apps, websites, and more.” They say you can “set limits if you’d like to.” Google says with its Screen Time feature you can “lock your child’s Android device or Chromebook at bedtime, after they’ve used it for a certain amount of time, or when you think they need a break.”

The language of these notes is slightly suggesting that you track your time or turn off your phone. However, the truth is, the companies do not want you to get off your screens. You are the consumer, and they want your attention.

Vox Media published a video by Christophe Haubursin on how phones are designed to be addictive. Former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris explained applications are like the infamously addicting slot machines.

On social media platforms, there is a pull-to-refresh feature. While these apps have the ability to refresh on their own, this pull creates an illusion of control and even mimics the pull of the slot machine.

Haubursin also mentions the infinite, frictionless

scrolling feature. The apps never give you an end, so they cause you to continue.

Even after my eyes are hurting from completing my online homework and connecting with my distance-learning peers and teachers, I gravitate toward my phone.

I have always thought of myself as someone who rarely uses her phone. I do not think I would go as far as to say I am addicted to my phone (who wants to ever admit to addiction?), but I have noticed my screen time ramp up lately. I am hitting about three hours on my phone per day. That seems like a lot of time. I find myself turning over in bed to check my phone in the dark, or I hear the sound of buzzing in math class even when it’s not there.

I realize these companies are trying to addict us, so it’s not completely my fault, but being aware of this is the first step in the battle.

There are so many ways that professionals and specialists suggest that you limit screen time and keep you from spiraling into this addiction.

Bailey Parnell, a TEDx speaker on social media and mental health with more than 2 million views, has a method for social media wellness, including recognizing the problem, auditing social media diet (meaning to monitor what goes into your head), creating a better online experience and modeling good behavior.

I wanted to test myself, so in honor and for research of this article, I limited myself to 30 minutes on my phone for one week. I did not follow any method in particular.

It was hard. No, really hard, but I did it: my phone screen time read 30 minutes each day (well, one day it was 32 minutes). Something I realized on this cleansing journey is that almost everyone in the hallway is holding their phones in their hand.

Ok, so I am not saying you should be as extreme as I was. I did realize I need my phone to connect with people, and for that one week, I only chatted with the people I directly interacted with at school. But we all need to be cognizant of not just our time on our screens, but the reason we are on our screens.

Smartphones, laptops and even social media are phenomenal tools, but we forget that they are tools. These screens should not take you away from a real conversation or cause you to feel upset; they should be used to make you happy.

In Parnell’s TEDx talk, she does not completely write off social media. She says you should do what makes you happy, so if you enjoy your time on screen, scroll away. But if not, avoid it. Use your phone for good.

Kate Clark, Managing Editor

Smartphones, laptops and even social media are phenomenal tools, but we forget that they are tools. These screens should not take you away from a real conversation or cause you to feel upset; they should be used to make you happy.

JADE | The Fourcast Magazine The Hockaday School 11600 Welch Road Dallas. Texas 75229 214.363.6311 Volume 4, Issue 2 April 2021

JADE is a magazine supplement to The Fourcast, The Hockaday School’s student newspaper. Magazine Editor: Kelsey Chen Staff Writers: Laine Betanzos, Ava Berger, Juliana Blazek, Elisa Carroll, Kelsey Chen, Jane Clark, Kate Clark, Zoe Cote, Julia Donovan, Katherine Grace Estess, Remy Finn, Olivia Garcia, Lacy Green, Anna Gum, Zoya Haq, Campbell Harris, Libby Hill, Melody Hu, Rachel Jan, Erin Parolisi, Caroline Petrikas, Charlotte Rogers, Sasha Schwimmer, Maddie Stout, Lea Whitley, Hanna Zhang Faculty Adviser: Julia Copeland Editorial Policy: JADE Magazine is written primarily for students of the Hockaday Upper School, faculty and staff. JADE has a press run of 600 and is printed by Greater Dallas Press. It is distribtued free of charge to the Hockaday community. Businesses who wish to advertise in JADE should contact Ava Berger, at aberger21@hockaday.org. We reserve the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate to the Hockaday community. Opinions are clearly marked and are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its advisor or any member of the Hockaday community. Any questions or concerns should be addressed to Kelsey Chen at kchen21@hockaday.org.