Pre-panel, Photo by Thomas Roche

I wanted to provide an update on my recent experience at SXSW Interactive. I didn’t get to go to every panel I’d wanted to attend, but I believe most people come home from SXSW feeling that way.

Therapy 2.0: Mental Health For Geeks which I co-presented with Thomas Roche, was well attended with somewhere between 50-60 people in the room. As the room filled up, I wondered whether a group of this size would really allow for  a conversation, but I was pleasantly surprised to experience people talking with one another and sharing ideas, as opposed to simply directing their comments back to Thomas and me. There was quite a bit of energy in the room as people talked about how they sometimes feel overwhelmed by information. Some mentioned issues with non-privacy while others talked about the illusion of intimacy that one gets with social networking sites. One person observed that the frequent interruptions of technology have changed her experience of what it means to be alone, which I found interesting. People talked about their own tips for keeping healthy which included hobbies, breaks, exercise, and techniques such as leaving their devices at home.

Since we were doing a Core Conversation, rather than a formal panel, I wanted to create some resource so that folks could obtain information, if they felt compelled to do so after talking about all of these issues. With that in mind, I created a Therapy 2.0 wiki where folks are welcome to find out more. Please feel free to check it out for information related to self-assessment, books, online tools, and how to find a therapist. We ended our Core Conversation with my list of five things you can do now to improve your mental health. These are also on the wiki, but I am also sharing them here.

In summary, I had a wonderful time presenting at SXSW this year and am looking forward to returning next year, regardless of whether I’m presenting or simply listening and learning from the other inspirational panelists and attendees who show up each year.

Five Things You Can Start Doing Now to Improve Your Mental Health

1. Weekly gratitude practice

Research shows that keeping a weekly gratitude journal has significant effects on increasing optimism and decreasing reported physical symptoms. But don’t overdo it. Lyubomirsky et al. (2005) found that those who practiced gratitude three times per week saw less benefit than those doing it once a week, suggesting that there may be a habituation effect and loss of gains if you do it more than once per week. Consider putting a reminder in your calendar to do this once a week.

2. Breathing exercises/Mindfulness practice

If you find yourself feeling stressed or anxious, doing a simple breathing exercise can help lower your blood pressure, lower your heart rate, and bring your attention away from distressing thoughts. It is easy to let future-focused or past-focused thoughts get in your way and this can increase depressed or anxious feelings. Be sure to breathe deeply into your lower abdomen, rather than taking shallow breaths just into your upper chest.

Breathing exercises are one component of mindfulness which is the practice of staying focused upon the present moment. There have been many studies showing the beneficial effects of mindfulness practice on depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, stress, chronic pain, and other ailments. When practicing mindfulness, sit in a comfortable place and start with the breathing. Then focus simply on being in your body. Notice your weight in the chair and the sounds you hear. If worrisome thoughts enter your mind, bring your focus back to your breath. Try to do this for 5 minutes a day and work up to 15 minutes.

You may also consider searching for podcasts that offer relaxation, breathing, and mindfulness exercises.

3. Connect with others

There is much data suggesting that social support and connection increases mental health and feelings of self-worth while simultaneously decreasing stress. Consider joining an activity group, taking a class, or even volunteering somewhere.

Have a lot of work to do? Try co-working or just go to a cafe to get your work done.

4. Exercise

There is significant data indicating that exercise relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety while also helping with insomnia. Consider combining exercise with connecting with others by joining a gym or a boot camp or organizing physical activities with friends.

5. Thought-tracking

If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, tracking thoughts and moods can be helpful. Thought records are a cognitive-behavioral tool that can help you examine thoughts and beliefs and how they influence your mood. You may notice patterns and less useful beliefs that come up in your inner monologue with yourself. Identifying these thought patterns can be a first step in changing them.

John Grohol, Ph.D., the founder of PsychCentral, a wonderfully accessible resource for both therapists and clients, will be presenting a panel called Social Networking in Health: e-Patients, Data & Privacy. This panel promises to address issues of patient data and privacy. He says he will talk about aggregating data which can help people spot trends and changes in their own health, and he will discuss the pros and cons of networking tools. To my knowledge, this is the only other panel presented by a fellow psychologist this year, and it crosses over some of the topics addressed in my own panel, so you can be sure I’ll be there. Melanie Rosenthal will also be presenting Killing Us Softly: The Failure of Technology in Health Care, which will address bringing health technology into our communities and the various challenges of bridging social networks with sterile health technology. I am interested in hearing more about this topic and hearing what she has learned about attempts to bridge the gaps.

Then there are a number of panels which address relationship issues. Brave New Dating with Ryan McMinn and Ali Watkins will focus on how dating protocols have been changed by the web. McMinn and Watkins encourage attendees to come discover new approaches focused on outcomes rather than process. Another dating related panel is Digital Dating: Are the Internets Killing Your Game? by Aubrey Sabala. Sabala’s panel will focus on the complications of digital dating in a Love 2.0 world, mediated by Facebook, Twitter and text messages. Since Relationship 2.0 issues are a specialty area of my practice, I’m eager to hear what Sabala and her participants have to say.

Then there are the panels that focus on privacy and exposure. Is Privacy Dead or Just Very Confused by Danah Boyd promises to explore the complex ways that people try to control access and visibility in order to demonstrate that privacy these days is just very confused. Boyd plans to discuss people’s concepts and experiences of privacy and find ways to manage it in Web 2.0. On the flip side of privacy is the practice of baring it all on the net.

A Brief History of Growing Up Online organized by Maria Diaz will look at the backlash that seems to be focused primarly upon women who document their lives on the Internet. Diaz is interested in old school “bloggers” (formerly teens) who will talk about coming of age while exposing their lives on the Internet. Her panel will explore how it has affected the ways these women are now leading their lives. She’s also interested in the next generation and what the effects are of having it become normative to share so many private moments of one’s life with the world. I often wonder how youth is influenced by growing up in an online world with a very different sense of access and privacy than that with which I grew up. This panel should provide some interesting context as people reflect on their past experiences and how they feel about them now. Since many people shift their relationship with privacy and exposure as they develop and grow and aong with the fluctuations in the growth of the internet, I am looking forward to hearing some different perspectives.

Lastly, of course, there is my own Core Conversation, Therapy 2.0: Mental Health for Geeks, which I am co-presenting with Thomas Roche. We plan to talk with attendees about a number of issues, which will include: mental health and occupational risks that tech people are susceptible to, and what they can do about it; how to assess your current health strategies and recognize self-care plans you may need to implement; Friendship 2.0, Dating 2.0, and Breakup 2.0 issues; staying focused on tasks and productivity in the culture of distraction; tools technology can offer for improving your mental health; and resources if you realize you need more help.

This is shaping up to be a very exciting year and I look forward to returning to the Bay Area with much renewed energy and inspiration, as I did last year.

Feel free to read the article, but be advised that you will be downloading a 25 page PDF document.