My husband is a great help when I write my blogs. He keeps an eye out for news stories that deal with mental health in some fashion. So when he saw an article on new words related to the...
My husband is a great help when I write my blogs. He keeps an eye out for news stories that deal with mental health in some fashion. So when he saw an article on new words related to the topic, he made sure I saw it. Then he asked me how I felt about it.
The story was about new language that young people were using to describe various mental health concepts.
First and foremost among them was “grippy socks vacay”—a reference to the footwear issued to people who have been committed, voluntarily or otherwise, to psych wards. But “vacay” is short for “vacation.” I can just picture a conversation using it: “Where’s Janet been?” “Oh, she’s been on a grippy socks vacay.” Or “I’m stressed. It’s time I went on a grippy socks vacay.” It seems unlikely that the people who say these things are always referring to an actual stay in a psych ward.
I was more than slightly appalled. It’s true that grippy socks evoke the image of a hospital stay. But grippy socks are a part of any stay in any department of a hospital, not just psych wards. And such a stay is hardly a vacation. It’s likely, I think, that people use this to mean something like “relaxing getaway” or “time to clear my head.” An actual stay in a psych ward, however, is not a relaxing getaway. It’s intense. It’s not supposed to be relaxing. And while it does provide time to clear one’s head, that’s still far from accurate. Medication, group therapy, and individual therapy may eventually clear one’s head or at least change one’s perspective, but it’s hardly just a time away from work and day-to-day stresses.
The article went on to discuss whether the phrase increased or decreased stigma. Some said one, some the other. I think it perpetuates stigma. It implies that someone who is in a psych ward is there to have a good time. “Grippy socks vacay” is demeaning when the hard work that mental patients must accomplish is considered.
If it’s used as a euphemism for an actual psych ward stay, it’s insensitive at the least. If it just means time off from daily cares, it’s still inaccurate and discounts the real experience. Those things can’t be good for reducing stigma.
Now, my friends and I have been known to use irreverent language to refer to our conditions. Robbin and I used to say on occasion that we needed a “check-up from the neck up.” We used it just between the two of us (well, I’ve also used it with my husband) to indicate that we needed to see our therapists. But I don’t see it as being demeaning, especially since we never used it in the context of anything but our own disorders, not a general description of someone the general populace would slangily describe as “crazy.” If we had said of any popular figure that they needed a check-up from the neck up, that would have been something else. But we didn’t.
Of course, you may disagree with this and I’d love to hear from you regarding your opinion.
The other article my husband shared with me was one that indicated that it was a trend on TikTok to use sour candy to ward off anxiety. The article even said that experts backed up the theory.
The idea is that the intense sensation of sourness distracts the brain from the cause of the anxiety. It’s a distraction technique, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist to take your mind away from unwanted thoughts. One expert interviewed for the article said, “Panic ensues when our amygdala triggers the flight or fight response. One way to dampen our amygdala’s response and mitigate panic is by turning our attention to the present moment through our senses: taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing.” Mindfulness through candy, I guess, would be a way to describe it. The experts also advise grounding yourself with other sensations such as the scent of essential oils.
Other experts noted that sour candy is a kind of crutch and not a long-term solution. One called it “maladaptive.” Sensory distractions, they said, were most effective in conjunction with acceptance rather than avoidance.
What’s the takeaway from this? Aside from the potential boost in sales for Jolly Ranchers, I mean. I think it’s a good reminder that there are ways to short-circuit anxiety and panic. And for people who only experience occasional, momentary anxiety, it’s probably a good thing. But for someone with an actual anxiety or panic disorder, it’s likely to be only one tool they use — and a minor one, at that.
What have you been reading recently about mental health trends? I’d love for you to share that, too.
