Teen Vogue

Eating Disorders Impact Everyone Regardless of Race, Class or Gender

For years, Ryan Sheldon didn’t know he had an eating disorder. The model, who now runs the Instagram account @BingeEaterConfessions, was diagnosed with binge eating disorder in 2015, but he began dealing with his eating disorder much earlier than that.

“I would visit a drive-thru and I’d spend five times the amount of money than the average person and I thought that was totally normal,” Ryan told Teen Vogue. “[Once] I was with my friend and they said, ‘Ryan, how do you spend that much money?’ ...and then it just became this secretive thing where I would basically eat in private.”

Despite being in therapy for a large portion of his life, Ryan said body image and eating habits never came up with his doctor. “I don't know if it's because I was a guy or if it's just because my therapist wasn't too familiar with eating disorders in general, but I never really knew that anything was that wrong with me.”

Continue reading

The World Record Instagram Egg Turned Out to Be a Mental Health PSA

No one expected a photo of an egg (like, a totally regular egg) to become more Instagram famous than Kylie Jenner, but in 2019, anything is possible. The egg, which goes by world_record_egg on Instagram and is named Eugene, according to the New York Times, did indeed break Kylie's record in early January, accumulating more likes than anyone else has ever gotten with one photo on the social media platform. But on Super Bowl Sunday, Eugene did something else totally un-egg-spected: He cracked under the pressure of being social media's biggest star, for the benefit of our mental health.

In a PSA aired on Hulu after the big game, Eugene opened up about the pressure of being popular on social media, something many celebs and influencers have also talked about. Rather than keep that pressure to himself, Eugene talked about how help is available for anyone feeling too much pressure from social media, or needing assistance with any other aspect of mental health.

"The pressure of social media is getting to me," a cracked Eugene said. "If you're struggling too, talk to someone. We got this." The PSA, now also on Instagram, encourages viewers to go to talkingegg.info, where they can find mental health resources from across the globe. The caption notes how encouraged Eugene is after getting help with his mental health: "Phew! I feel so much better now. If you’re feeling the pressure, visit talkingegg.info to find out more," it reads. "Let’s build this list together."

Continue reading

6 Things to Do If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed by All the Tragedy in the News

Whenever we turn on the news or scroll through our social media feeds, we're constantly reminded of all the awful things going on in the world. Most recently, twelve people were killed by a gunman in a mass shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, while the venue was hosting a “college country night” for students late on Wednesday, November 8. While it can feel important to stay current on the news, it’s also important to practice self-care when what we're seeing is overwhelming us or affecting our mental health.

Researchers have long been worried about the effects of flashy news and graphic, real violence on our psyches, and the coverage of tragedy is often linked with a feeling a sense of malaise about the world in general. It can be tempting to just shut it all out, but staying current is important, and most large-scale tragedies are impossible to avoid. Finding ways to cope with the stress, anxiety, and depression that these news story bring on, however, is not out of your reach.

“The first thing I would recommend is to acknowledge that a tragic event happened, and that it’s okay to have feelings about it,” says Stephanie Dowd, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in the Anxiety and Mood Disorders Center of the Child Mind Institute. “Express your feelings and thoughts about this event with people you love and trust.”

Here are six doctor-approved tactics to avoid being overwhelmed while staying informed.

Read more

📸: Wally Skalij

Naomi Osaka on Mental Health and Training to Face Her Idol at the U.S. Open

On Saturday, Naomi Osaka made history when she won the women’s singles final match against Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Even before she'd made it to the finals, she was the talk of the tournament; on the second day, I overheard two journalists talking about her forehand, one of them arguing, "She could kill [Roger] Federer with that shot." It's so impressive, the New York Times dedicated an entire article to the science of how her stroke generates so much power. Spoiler: It clocks in at more than 100 mph — faster than Federer’s forehand, which averages 78 mph.

The 20-year-old, who grew up in New York and Florida, is being celebrated for being the first Japanese woman, and of Haitian descent, to win the U.S. Open title. She’s been called the "next best player in tennis" by the New Yorker.

Her first Grand Slam title, however, came with a much-talked-about controversy: Naomi won because she played a great game, but also because her opponent was slapped with three code-of-conduct violations. The controversial call from umpire Carlos Ramos has started many conversations about how differently athletes are treated when they are women of color, even if one of those women is one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Less than two days after her big win, Naomi, decked out in Adidas, sat down with Teen Vogue for an exclusive post-match interview to talk about why being a professional athlete can be depressing, her intense diet leading up to the tournament, and what it felt like when her idol asked the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to stop booing.

Teen Vogue: How are you feeling since the match?

Naomi Osaka: I’m not really sure when the match was, and it all happened so fast, but I feel good. I’m kind of sleepy right now, but other than that, I feel good.

TV: There was this really sweet clip of your message to Serena before the match, where you say “I love you” to her. What was it like to go up against her in the finals?

NO: It was really amazing. I was lucky enough to play against her before, but in the finals of a Grand Slam, it feels way more special. Yeah, I think just growing up and watching her play and having the opportunity to play during the finals in Arthur Ashe...I used to live in New York and come here and watch people play. For me to have that opportunity, I was really happy.

TV: Can you describe the pressure you feel during the U.S. Open finals?

NO: For me, I do better in Grand Slams. I like when there’s more people watching. The morning I woke up to play the finals, I was really nervous, and I couldn’t really eat anything at all. So that was a new feeling for me, because normally I don’t get that nervous. Since I knew it was so special, I started freaking out a little bit.

TV: How important is mental health for athletes who are competing on a professional level?

NO: You can easily get depressed. Usually, if you play sports, you think that one match or one game is very important, and when you lose it, you think your whole world is over. I can see how easily that can turn.

TV: When Serena asked the audience to stop booing, it seemed like a moment of solidarity. How did you feel when she did that?

NO: I thought it was really cool when she did that, especially since it was my first final. I know that everyone on the stage, we couldn’t really hear anything because the crowd was so loud, so I was really grateful that she did that.

Continue reading

📸: Molly Matalon

What to Do When You See Your Sexual Abuser

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, in eight out of 10 rape cases, on average, the victim knew the person who assaulted them. This statistic means that victims of sexual assault are likely to encounter their abuser again, whether in a scenario in which the abuser is being confronted, such as a court case, or, perhaps more likely, in an everyday setting, like school, or a workplace gathering. In the case of campus sexual violence, according to statistics from RAINN, only 20% of female students report incidents of rape or sexual violence to law enforcement, while victims outside of a school system are even less likely to report incidents.

When possible, reporting assault is important, but it can feel like the start of a very long battle, and everyday life is impossible to avoid when you’re deciding what to do in the aftermath of a sexual assault. Talking to friends and family is possible is a great solution, but in cases where someone in your circle or community is the abuser, it can sometimes feel inevitable that you’ll run into them again. The best action to take, Talkspace therapist Rachel O'Neill, Ph.D., LPCC-S says, is to remove yourself from the situation entirely. Though it might feel unjust that you have to exit a room when they enter, taking care of yourself, emotionally and physically, should always take priority.

But in cases where a swift exit isn’t possible, such as a classroom setting, it’s possible to move around the unfortunate situation with strength.

“The key is to remind yourself that you’re safe, your abuser can’t hurt you, and you have control over yourself,” says O'Neil, on incidents where you see your abuser in a normal setting. “I really recommend having a number of physical grounding techniques, like holding a stress ball or running cold water over your hands, and emotional/mental grounding skills, like saying the alphabet backwards or reciting your favorite poem to yourself, that are part of your daily routine (practice, practice, practice!) so that you can use them when you need them.”

Being prepared is key, TalkSpace’s Cynthia Catchings, LCSW-S says. She recommends becoming intimately familiar with the setting where you’re likely to run into them so you can move around without issue, and having a friend or someone you trust with you when you’re assuming you’ll run into your abuser, and mentally reaching for visualizations of scenarios where you feel at ease. She also notes that you should never leave a place before your abuser leaves.

Read more

📸: Netflix

How Cat Poop Can Affect Your Health

Read more ways cat poop could be affecting you

📸: Getty Images

Elsie Fisher: How the Internet Helped Me With My Anxiety

For the longest time, I’ve had an irrational fear of answering the telephone. Whenever I would hear it ring, a lump formed in my throat and my immediate response would be to freeze. I know it seems dramatic, but this was never something I could control. After years of working through it, I’m much better at reacting when I hear that familiar buzz, but it was never just the phone. All social situations freaked me out on a very deep and personal level, and I constantly asked myself why I felt this way and if anyone else ever felt the way I did.

My whole life, I had been troubled by the fact that people seemed to think of me as something of an “outcast,” but I could never put a name to why. I knew what I was feeling, but I guess I had always assumed it was just me “being weird” — until eighth grade, when the Internet helped me find the answer.

That year, specifically, was rough for my mental health; my brain was in constant turmoil, and I know now I was having a terrible battle with depression. When dealing with my bleak reality seemed “too much,” I took refuge on the Internet, where I came across a Tumblr post with a list of at least 20 or so different conditions, as well as myriad ways to help combat their negative effects. I scrolled down the list hoping to find a remedy for the emptiness I felt, when something caught my eye.

Anxiety.

I had seen the word many times in my life, but never quite in a context that truly applied to me — until then. I know we’ve all felt anxious at times — at the dentist’s office, right before getting a test back, making sure to wake up on time....But this was different. Things kind of made sense for once. Maybe I wasn’t as weird as I thought.

Continue reading

📸: Jeff Vespa

5SOS’s Michael Clifford bravely opens up about his mental health >>

One girl talks about her binge eating disorder—and how she deals >>

Feeling depressed? 

It’s important to ask for help. 

Here are our tips >>

Picture perfect isn’t everything. 

How one girls depression was fatally masked by her filtered life >>

This new Facebook feature could be a total life-saver >>

Seriously. 

Are teens more depressed now than ever before? >>

We're giving you the facts. 

Is soda messing with your memory? 

Signs are pointing to yes >> 

Does mental illness run in your family?

Well, you're certainly not alone >>  

Demi Lovato shares with us how she's learned to love the skin she's in >> 

Student debt could literally be having a negative affect your health. 

Here's what you should know >>