Young Adult (YA) Blog Corner:

YA Blog Entries:

• How to Create & (Actually) Follow a Schedule: Learning and Working from Home with a Mental Health Condition

  This time we’re diving deep into creating structure, particularly related to learning and working from home when living with a mental health condition.

• Overwhelmed, Exhausted, Burned Out…Oh My! 5 Strategies to Beat Burnout

  Welcome back, and a very big hello to our first-time readers! I am a research staff person at the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research and I write about my experience living and working with multiple medical and mental health conditions. Today, I will be sharing my experience with burnout, particularly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• iSPARC LGBTQ+ Blog On Mental Health And Employment

  This blog was written in honor of LBGTQ+ Pride Month, which occurs in June of every year.

• Who’s At Your Table?

  NEDAwareness Week has arrived! Each year the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) raises awareness for eating disorders with a unique theme. In 2021 to celebrate NEDA’s 20^th anniversary, the theme was: “Every Body Has a Seat at the Table,” to draw much-needed attention to marginalized communities. In honor of that theme, I’m sharing who’s sitting at my table. I didn’t stick solely to individuals because I’ve found that the more support, the better. Recovery, support, and happiness can come in all forms.

• How My Mental Health Crisis Impacted My Health

  In honor of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, we have a guest blogger, Vivian, who will talk about her experiences with disordered eating and a serious mental health episode during an especially difficult period in her life. 

• My Worth is More Than My Weight

  Trigger warning: Mentions of Binge-Eating Disorder, Weight-Shaming, Sexual Assault, & PTSD

• Reframing New Year’s Resolutions: A Conversation

  I’m so excited for this month’s blog entry, which is centered around New Year’s resolutions. I got to sit down and talk with Morgan, who sheds some light on the topic. Her insight on the topic is eye opening, while also being equally adaptable to each of our own individual lives. As we put 2020 behind us, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss...

• Cold? Snowy? Icy? Rainy? Social Distancing Activities to Maintain Your Mental Health

  Being a young person living with a mental health condition, I find that I need to make a consistent effort to stay connected with others or my mental health suffers. This is even more important during stressful times such as the global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and even the approaching holidays. Unfortunately, COVID-19 can make it challenging to safely come together and receive this much needed support, especially as we enter the colder months.

• 5 Ways Working Helps Me Manage My Mental Health Conditions

  October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. As someone with lived experience of a mental health condition and chronic illness, I can speak to the benefits of employment. Having a job is not only possible for those of us living with mental health conditions, it also can be a key component to our recovery. Here are five ways that my job has helped me manage my mental health condition and recovery...

• Managing My Chronic Medical & Mental Health Conditions Amidst COVID-19

  The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our world in a multitude of ways, including our healthcare system. I find this aspect of the pandemic particularly challenging because I have multiple medical conditions that require regular and frequent treatment...

• How I Use Lights to Manage My Mental Health and Brighten My Mood

  I am here today to shed some light (or lack thereof!) on how to survive the end of daylight saving time. Let’s face it—shorter days and less sunlight during the winter time takes a toll on one’s mental health...

• Combating the Winter Blues: Getting Back on Track after the Holidays

  The hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, so now what?...

• Classroom Friendly Coping Skills

  Hello again from Transitions ACR! This blog entry  focuses on healthy coping skills that students can use in a classroom setting, many of which may not require a reasonable accommodation. A healthy coping skill is something that helps me to deal with...

• Holiday Self-care

  Holidays can be a difficult time for anyone. In some ways, they are a time of plenty and meaning, but they can also a be source of stress...

• The Importance of Developing and Maintaining a Healthy Work/Life Balance When You Have Physical and Mental Health Conditions

  Hello from the Transitions ACR! I’m back again to discuss my personal experience with both medical and mental health conditions...

• Accommodations in the Workplace

  I used to ask myself, "do I really need an accommodation? Do I even qualify? Is it worth going through all the trouble?" For me, the answers to those questions turned out to be: YES, YES, and YES!

• WORK TOOLS: TECH

  Hello again! This month’s topic is using technology as a tool to succeed in the workplace...

• When Two Worlds Collide: Managing Physical and Mental Health Conditions at Work

  Hi, I’m a research staff at the Transitions ACR and I’m here to share a snippet of my experiences as a young adult with multiple medical and mental health conditions...