by Yasmin Elliott, Head Writer On the daily, our lives are filled with uncertainties and trials that often test our limits. Whether it’s an unexpected deadline or a global pandemic, there truly is no way to perfectly plan for every circumstance. Humans are, however, very resilient and this allows us to face these uncertainties without too much distress. Resiliency factors can improve our happiness and well-being because they help us in the face of adversity. In fact, there are activities we can engage in to enhance our resilience. What follows is a review of resilience, its neurochemical basis, and some practical activities you can engage in to enhance your well-being and resilience!
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by Priyamvada Nagar, Head Writer Content warning: This post discusses personal experiences with anxiety and mental health.
3:30 am. The clock strikes to 3:31am, 3:32am, 3:33am, and all you can hear is the ticking - not from the clock, but the one coming from inside you. Suddenly, a wave of emotions takes over you and you start to question every single decision you have ever taken and every single essay you have ever written. Every discussion post you couldn’t ace and every failed attempt at trying to win this race; this race called life as a student. by Shayndel Jim, Head Writer For many people, thinking about loving yourself feels very strange. The idea of putting time and effort into loving yourself can make people feel guilty and self-centered, creating feelings of discomfort. In a world that sings about self-love, but also stresses the importance of putting others first, feelings of confusion can arise, accordingly we often have difficulty allowing ourselves to experience it. How to love ourselves is not something that is taught in schools and unfortunately, it is not something that just happens - self-love is something that requires effort and practice, until one day it is as easy as breathing. With it being Valentine’s Day, it can be especially hard to remember to put the love that the month calls for towards yourself, but it is just as important.
by Yasmin Elliott, Head Writer With midterm season fast approaching, students are beginning to face the inevitable accumulation of assignment deadlines, midterm exams, and, consequently, stress. With all these responsibilities occurring simultaneously, it is not uncommon to feel like there are simply not enough hours in the day! The tempting solution to this problem might be to stay up for a few extra hours to study for that upcoming midterm or to wake up at some ungodly hour to finish an assignment that’s due later that day. Engaging in these behaviours at the expense of a goodnight’s sleep, however, severely hinders your ability to perform optimally from both a cognitive and mental health perspective. What follows is an investigation of the role of sleep in memory, problem-solving, and mood, which provides a few examples of the important role that sleep plays in our mental health!
A special message from Nida Ansari, Editor-in-Chief On January 25th, 2022, the GetPsyched blog celebrated it's first year of existence!
by Shayndel Jim, Head Writer While university gives students the space to build habits they want and live life the way they want to, it is also an opening that allows people to slip easily into disordered eating because they have the freedom to. Phrases and concepts such as the freshman 15, over-exercising, ‘pulling trig,’ skipping meals, and unconventional meal replacements, are all normalized on university campuses and cause far more harm than people realize.
by Hailey Sandhu, Head Writer It is that time again, when we get a fresh start to a new year and a new semester! This is an opportunity for growth, new ideas and improvement! Unfortunately, as it is a time for new beginnings and journeys, we continue to deal with stress and potential stressors that the new year and semester may bring. Maybe it’s stress from a new job, keeping up with academics and graduation, family, and friends, and of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. Though we may not be able to completely eliminate stress from our daily lives, we can defiantly do our best to understand and cope with it!
by Justin Brass, Alumni Head Writer Did you know that the “magic ratio” for relationships is 5:1 in moments of conflict? This means that for every negative interaction in a relationship, there should be at least 5 positive interactions to neutralize or resolve the conflict. This ratio was prescribed by world-renowned researcher and psychologist Dr. John Gottman, as the most reliable formula to make our attachments long lasting and healthy.
by Nida Ansari, Justin Brass, Jessica Crosby, Yasmin Elliott, Victoria Mendonca, and Sophie Samek, Contributors On November 18th 2021, the Psychology Society’s Third Year Representatives hosted an online event titled, How to Get Involved: Volunteer and Research Opportunities in Psychology. Peer Helpers from the Experiential Learning Hub and Student Volunteer Connections as well as a panel of Psychology students joined us as speakers on the Thursday evening. The speakers shared their insight and experience with getting involved in Psychology-related volunteer and research opportunities, both on- and off-campus. If you didn’t get to join this event live or wanted a refresher on everyone’s tips and tricks, here are some final thoughts from our event panelists (and the Editor-in-Chief of GetPsyched)!
by Tavia Kiwanuka-Quinlan, Head Writer Sexual health is often an afterthought for many, or is thought of to be cold, clinical, and impersonal. Many associate sexual health to be exclusively STI tests, condoms and birth control, which is a very common misconception! While these are aspects of sexual health (specifically referred to as sexual healthcare), sexual health is so much more than that.
by Yasmin Elliott, Head Writer Let’s be honest, how many times have you been told, “You are what you eat!”? Most of us can think of times where we were given this warning, often to deter us from having too much “junk food”, usually with a focus on our physical health. You may have brushed this off in the past, but what if I told you that food greatly impacts both your physical and mental health? This is where we can turn to the new and exciting field of nutritional psychology for insights into how the foods we eat impact our mental health and wellness!
by Blair Irish, General Contributor Procrastination is often falsely associated with poor time management skills and laziness. This perspective of procrastination targets the individual and accuses them of being the source of all their problems. What if I told you that procrastination is much more than that - that it is a process deeply rooted in our psychology? By first identifying the real reason we procrastinate, we are then able to identify useful ways to overcome our procrastination.
by Shayndel Jim, Head Writer Imposter syndrome is a term that many of us are very familiar with. It gets tossed around frequently, especially in university settings. Simply put, imposter syndrome is when someone doubts their abilities and agonizes over not feeling like they deserve to be where they are.
by Justin Brass, Alumni Head Writer There are a variety of biases, hidden flexibilities in how a psychologist interprets their data, fraudulent methods, and procedures that researchers use to magnify or ‘alter’ their data. These practices yield more desirable results for the researcher conducting a study, which is typically to find statistically significant findings (Chambers, 2017). Many researchers are aware of the unethical analytic methods that one can use to amplify their effect size (i.e., p-hacking), yet many still choose to partake in the practice of using them (Chambers, 2017).
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