Author: Sonya Ulman

I went to a Wake Forest summer camp in July, under the Policy & Politics Institute. It’s been several months, obviously, but I thought now that I’ve had some time to reflect, I would give my thoughts on it.

I was nervous before being dropped off, as I was not only going to be away from my family, but it was academics-based, so I was worried about not seeming “smart enough” and being put on the spot and coming up with a wrong answer, or something like that.

I was dropped off around 3 on the Sunday before the week started, and headed to my dorm to start unpacking and getting settled. The place was buzzing with energy and lots of teen campers, excited to start the week. As soon as I got talking to my roommate, and other people in the dorm, I calmed down and started having fun. One of my great friends from elementary school and middle school was there as well and it was so fun to reconnect and we had a blast talking the whole week. We headed to dinner and did some icebreakers after (I despise icebreakers but I survived💪). That was the first day. The dorms were quiet so I slept really well the whole week.

The way the camp was structured was that we had breakfast every morning and right after we would go to class with our institute. Then we would have class for a couple hours, and then lunch. After lunch, we would resume class until 4 and then we were free for the rest of the night to do whatever. They had activities (tie-dye, s’mores, football, basketball, etc), or you could walk around campus, hang out in the dorms, or your personal dorm. I loved this flexibility- and you could have dinner whenever you wanted. I felt like the camp resembled a college in that way. Class in the morning and then do whatever with your day after. I spent most of my evenings chatting with my roommate, my childhood friend, and my sister. We hung out in our dorm or outside on benches. It was very relaxing and fun- definitely my favorite part of camp.

As for the actual class part of it, it was interesting and very discussion-based. We had guest speakers almost every day, and we even took a field trip into town and the courthouse. The professor was very nice and knowledgeable. The other kids in my institute were pretty nice and we had conversations revolving mainly around politics and we did not focus much on the policy side of things. The class also did not talk about mental health or anything around youth health. I don’t love talking about politics so some aspects of camp weren’t that fun and some discussions were boring/uninteresting. Overall, I was pretty engaged and did learn stuff about how voting and politics work in the states.

It was a fun, learning experience and although I was ready to go home by the end, I don’t regret going!

Jealousy is truly such a yucky and horrible emotion to experience, but unfortunately, it is one that kids, adults, and teens all experience. Jealousy can stem from not having as many possessions as someone, perhaps an American Girl Doll that a friend has (most likely during your elementary school stages). As a teen, jealousy over how other people look or how many friends they have, maybe. As an adult (a stage I have not yet experienced) possibly jealousy over career positions or how “happy” an adult seems in their life. I feel like jealousy mainly stems from comparison or feeling like you are less/have less than another person. As a teen girl in a social-media obsessed world (which is essentially a highlight reel), jealousy can be painful and sudden even though I do not have social media. A person gets a great grade on a test I felt like I didn’t do well on, or a pretty girl walks by on a day I’m feeling insecure. Or I didn’t get invited to a social event that some of my friends went to. Comparing yourself to your friends or to strangers or classmates can really only lead to putting yourself down, or putting them down to make you feel better. For example, someone passes you in the hall and you call them ugly in your head. Whenever I do that, I try to catch myself and ask myself if I would want someone to think about me like that in their head. I always feel ashamed whenever I put people down in my own head but I do feel like everyone does it at times. The best thing to do is to try to view everyone in a positive light even if it’s hard sometimes. Comparison can truly lead to nothing but bad feelings. No one has everything, and everyone, regardless of how happy they may seem or pretty you think they are, struggles with things every day. It’s also unfair to judge people based on how they appear on the surface.

Ways to Avoid Comparison/Stop Yourself in the Act:

• Look at people positively/point out the positive things in people
• Realize that everyone has flaws
• Avoid your “triggers”
  • Activities that may trigger jealousy
    • Ex: walking through a mall, driving through an expensive neighborhood
• Your “insides” can’t be compared to other people’s “outsides”
• Use comparison as motivation to improve what does matter
• Write down things that you are grateful for

SOURCE:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201803/how-stop-comparing-yourself-others

As a high school student, I have seen all types of people at my school. The rowdy, annoying boys who throw food at each other during lunch. The smart students who are studying during lunch. The “typical” high school girls on their phones, gossiping and laughing. These people’s behavior may change from day to day but there is always that one student who sits by themself during lunch, or who hides by the vending machine before the bell rings. I always feel a vague sense of pity or sorrow for these people. It obviously doesn’t make me feel good to see people looking lonely or afraid at high school. These people may not want to talk to anyone, don’t want to be there, or maybe they’re suffering from social anxiety. Social anxiety is not something I will think someone has if they are by themself, or look afraid in social situations. But I think it is very possible that someone we know has it, or someone I have seen in passing has it. The majority of people get nervous on some level to speak in public, and many of us are worried about approaching strangers, or meeting new people. But it is at least possible, or manageable, in our minds. So why is social anxiety so crippling? 

Social anxiety refers to when individuals fear social situations and anticipate negative evaluations by others, or fear embarrassment and humiliation in front of a crowd. This fear can lead to being driven to the point of not wanting to interact at all socially, or dreading and becoming extremely anxious at the thought of talking to people. 

Some signs of social anxiety:

• Emotional signs:
  • Fearing judgement by other people
  • Worried you will embarrass yourself
  • Intense fear of interacting with strangers
  • Avoiding being the center of attention
  • Spending significant time analyzing and critiquing the way you acted in a social situation
  • Expecting the worst out of every social situation
• Physical signs:
  • Blushing
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Shaking
  • Tight muscles

Ways to get help:

• CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy)
  • Teaches you alternative ways of thinking, and reacting to social situations in a calmer way
• Support groups
• Medication when prescribed
  • Anti-anxiety
  • Antidepressants
  • Beta- blockers
    • Stop adrenaline from affecting you

SOURCE:

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/signs-social-anxiety

The amount of exercise people do is something that I find to be very varied across the high school scene. Some of my friends run miles and miles each week. Some never exercise, and don’t play any sports. And some exercise and love to work out, but have never really played a sport. Science proves that exercise brings you endorphins which release pleasure and a sense of completion and happiness after you work out. So why do some people not work out? And can working out make a positive impact on your mental health? From what I can tell, people who don’t work out: don’t enjoy it (although some people who work out do not enjoy it either), never have done it so why would they start now, or would rather spend time on other things. It may be hard to motivate these people to work out, or hard for them to motivate themselves. But exercising is beneficial as it helps you sleep better at night, keep in shape and healthy, and makes you happy- this is due to endorphins and also a feeling that you have done something productive and good. Exercising can definitely boost your mood and take your mind off stressful things like schoolwork or a job. It can get you out of bed if you’ve been feeling lazy, start your day off on the right note, or get you tired for bed at night. Can exercise totally reverse and cure poor mental health? No. But I do believe that exercising, even walking or exercising a couple times a week, can significantly improve one’s sleep schedule, mood, and stamina. Furthermore, everyone can be creative and experiment with different ways of working out, and creating a challenge or goal you want to reach can be a fun way to start a journey with exercise.

We’ve all heard the “don’t do drugs” speech, from our parents, or our school, or kids around us. We know they’re bad for us and to never do them, try them, etc. But how many of us really know that using drugs can affect long term happiness and the science behind it? 

Our brains contain neurotransmitters, which are essentially chemical messengers. These neurotransmitters receive messages from nerve cells, and then connect to receptors. Each neurotransmitter binds to a specific and unique receptor. A neurotransmitter and a receptor fit together like a lock and key, and only work when connected to the right partner. Then this can cause hormone release, muscle contraction, and more. When someone takes drugs the drug can see what the neurotransmitter looks like, take the neurotransmitter’s shape, and trick the receptor into binding. Then this connection causes higher than average releases of dopamine or serotonin. What happens then is that the receptor becomes misshapen or mangled, which means the next time dopamine or serotonin is ready to bind to the receptor, it can’t because the receptor is no longer the perfect shape. This leaves an excess of dopamine and serotonin just sitting around, hanging out within the brain. When the brain sees that there is too much of these hormones in the brain, it cuts off production, or greatly reduces it. This means that no more dopamine or serotonin gets released. When this occurs, people often turn to drugs to give them the hormones instead, because it is the only way the brain can feel happy again. For milder drugs like cocaine, the brain can sometimes recover and continue producing neurotransmitters almost like normal after a little bit. But for serious drugs like heroin or methamphetamine, the brain cannot recover from this and the receptors and neurotransmitters may never go back to normal. So when you make the choice to take drugs, even if you think that you will never actually get addicted, or if you think that it’s a one-time thing, you could be damaging your brain so badly that the only way you will ever release hormones that make you “happy” (dopamine, serotonin, etc) is by taking drugs. Make the decision to stay away from any kind of drugs, and protect your brain and your ability to feel happiness naturally.

SOURCE:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22513-neurotransmitters

https://drugabuse.com/blog/understanding-the-effects-of-long-term-drug-abuse-on-the-brain/

https://recoveryfirst.org/blog/treatment/the-hormones-at-work-during-addiction-and-drug-rehab/

Sometimes the little things can make a big difference in someone’s life. I remember one day at school in 8th grade, I was feeling tired but didn’t think too much about it. I guess I was staring into the distance or looking sad (which is just my resting face haha) because then my art teacher asked me if I was okay. It was just three words but it meant a lot to me to have someone show that they cared about me and how I was doing. I was fine, of course, but I still have not forgotten that moment, two years later, and I’m sure I never will. Since then, I have made it my duty to always ask people how they are doing whenever I see them, or if they’re okay if they look sad or anything. I especially love greeting people with a “how’s it going?” haha. Anyways, the point of the story is that you may not think much of it/not remember it, but just reaching out and saying one sentence could really make a person or friend feel cared for and I’m sure it will stick with them, like it did with me. Your challenge today is to just ask your friend or family member how they’re doing, or if they’re okay, and I’m sure it will mean a lot to them to know that you care for them.

41.9% of America’s population was overweight in 2020, and 9.2% were severely obese. Junk food, unhealthy eating habits, and lack of exercise (sedentary lifestyles), all contribute to this statistic. 

Medical school students are pushing for classes and curriculum centered around nutrition and exercise, as well as building relationships, hoping to reduce this high number. Colleges such as Harvard and Stanford are incorporating these lifestyle courses into medical school training in an effort to reduce chronic illnesses. 6 in 10 adults in the US have a chronic disease. This statistic is crazy, and just proves even more that we need to do something about things that can cause chronic diseases (overeating, lack of exercise, etc). Some examples of chronic diseases that currently impact lots of Americans today are heart disease, diabetes, and strokes. These are all often preventable through healthy lifestyles and healthy habits. 

These programs installed into medical schools could not only teach medical school students how to manage their health, but this new knowledge they are gaining could be taught to younger generations for prevention of chronic illnesses and current patients to help them get better and maybe recover from their chronic illnesses (as seen in some cases of diabetics).

With the emergence of the Snapchat AI, we are now seeing AI be used as a resource for mental health, which holds promises and challenges. AI is essentially the ability of a robot/computer program to perform tasks usually done by humans because they require intelligence. Snapchat and Facebook are two huge social media platforms and both have AIs. However, this may actually be a good thing as the cost is low or free for users while therapy and medicine are both very expensive. Furthermore, the AI is accessible and easy to use. Snapchat’s AI is a click away, and will answer immediately. Some mental health professionals look at AI as a way to bridge the gap in mental health. Not everyone can afford high quality therapy and expensive treatment plans. With the numbers of those affected with mental health disorders rising, AI can provide help and become an outlet for those who cannot afford therapy or a visit to a psychiatrist. However, there are some concerns. AI isn’t a replacement for a therapist or medicine. It may help bridge the gap, but it isn’t the same, and certainly cannot provide necessary meds. Furthermore, some teenagers or children will often replace real-life friends and connections with the AI, which isn’t healthy. When you think about it, AI is just a program that is really just lines and lines of coding. So to replace real life connections and family time or hanging out with friends with an AI can be detrimental. Users mention how the thought of AI being a program “invalidates all the nice things it says.” In conclusion, while AI is useful as a mild help for those with mental health concerns, it shouldn’t be allowed to replace connections in life and isn’t a substitute for medications and therapy.

SOURCE:

https://www.foxnews.com/health/teens-turning-my-ai-mental-health-support-which-doctors-warn-against

Jay Neugeboren was brother to Robert Neugeboren, a mentally ill person who struggled with the system and with psychiatric abuse for many years. He wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal about how his brother Robert, did so much better and improved drastically when he had a support system behind him, or someone that he cared about. For example, Robert loved his caretaker who cared for him while at a psychiatric hospital. However, when that caretaker left him to move somewhere else, Robert’s condition rapidly deteriorated. Neugeboren used this example to show the effects personal relationships can have on a person’s condition and recovery. Social support, by a family, friend, or trusted caretaker, can really be the difference for a struggling person. If you know somebody battling mental health or mental illness issues, remember to always be there for them and show your love and support, as long as it is safe for you to be around them.