Written by Kayla Myer
Edited and Enhanced by ChatGPT

February 25, 2025

Every year as winter approaches, I start to dread the days ahead. Even before summer or fall has ended, I find myself mourning their passing while still living in those seasons. I know the days will soon grow shorter and the nights longer, and I brace myself for the arrival of the infamous "winter blues." Whether it's the colder weather, the lack of sunlight, or the post-holiday slump, this time of year can be particularly challenging for my mental health. As a peer supporter, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside others through difficult seasons, and I know firsthand how real and heavy these feelings can be. But the good news? We don’t have to face them alone.

The "winter blues" is a common term used to describe the seasonal dip in mood that many people experience. For some, it can manifest as mild sadness, fatigue, or irritability. For others, it may develop into something more severe, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression triggered by seasonal changes. While the severity varies, the struggle is real, and acknowledging it is the first step toward finding relief (generated using ChatGPT).

For myself, once I started to understand how the “winter blues” manifested in me, I was able to implement my wellness tools into moments that felt daunting. Over the years, I’ve learned that small, intentional actions can make a big difference. Here are some approaches that have helped both myself and those I support:

1. Embrace the Light

Sunlight plays a crucial role in regulating our mood. If you can, try to get outside during daylight hours, even if it’s just for a short walk. If natural sunlight is scarce, consider using a light therapy lamp, which can help mimic the benefits of natural light and improve mood.

2. Stay Active

Exercise is a powerful mood booster. It doesn’t have to be intense, even gentle movements like yoga, stretching, or a short dance session can help release endorphins and combat sluggishness.

3. Connect with Others

Isolation often worsens the winter blues. Reaching out to my support system helps me stay grounded. Even a simple text, phone call, or video chat can lift my spirits and remind me that I’m not alone.

4. Nourish Your Body and Mind

What we eat can impact how we feel. Incorporating nutrient-rich foods into my diet, including vitamins, and whole foods that fuel my body. Equally important, nourish your mind. I practice mindfulness, gratitude, or journaling to process my emotions.

5. Create Comforting Rituals

Small moments of joy can make a huge difference. Whether it’s lighting a scented candle, wrapping up in a warm blanket with a good book or watching a show, or listening to uplifting music, I try to find little ways to bring warmth and comfort into my daily routine.

6. Seek Support When Needed

I don’t take these helpful tips lightly because I know how hard it can be to implement them when my brain feels heavy. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the weight of the winter blues can feel overwhelming. And that’s okay. If your feelings persist or become too difficult to manage, don’t hesitate to seek support. There is strength in asking for help.

One of the most important things I’ve learned as a peer supporter is the power of shared experiences. No matter how isolating the winter blues may feel, you are not alone in this struggle. There is a community of people who understand, care, and are willing to walk this journey with you. So, as we navigate these colder, darker months together, let’s lean on one another, embrace small victories, and remember that brighter days are ahead. Spring always follows winter, and in the meantime, we can find warmth in connection, self-care, and hope. If you’re feeling down this season, reach out. To a friend, a peer supporter, a mental health professional, or whoever is your support system. You deserve support, and you are worth the effort it takes to care for yourself.

by Nikki Russell, CBHPSS

February 20, 2024

The ripple effect of kindness offers global and self-transformation. Acts of kindness can be as simple as a smile or as profound as a prayer. Sometimes, we know when the effect of our actions is received as kindness; other times, it encapsulates empathy and sends an energetic message that uplifts a broken heart. When I heal the past, I hold a higher capacity for kindness. Forgiveness is often explained as an internal peace that allows a person to move forward, not so the other can benefit, but rather self-healing. The healing process makes room for kindness; when I can show love to myself, it fills up an internal hollow space from which I pour kindness. Recovery cultivates kindness, reminding me that life, through all its difficulties, has a purity, an authenticity that chisels through layers of a facade, revealing the essence of life...heart.

The root of my hypervigilance is a search for kindness, which I find in the most unconventional spaces. When I show up for you, I must show up for me first. When I can show grace to the girl who feels unworthy within me, I have rehearsed kindness that reflects onto you. The choice to be kind takes intention, cultivating an internal environment, and the cognitive strength not to retreat to anger or frustration. When I acknowledge a person's humanity as the shared space of empathy, there is an acknowledgment of external imperfection that transcends social status. Amid the anger, a clarifying look, a soft touch, or a compassionate word can activate a remembering of each deed's intrinsic value...hope.

Cultivating compassion grows emotional well-being in a society that prioritizes material success over self-care. Busy schedules demand fast-paced movement that unleashes worry about the future. Worry and kindness are not allies; they can define our actions through personifying behaviors that match the emotion. Self-awareness is the capacity to tune into one's thoughts and feelings. Mindfulness activities like meditation and deep breathing allow self-kindness to echo into the world. Our actions show our internal environment and let us see where we need to heal. Showing compassion for ourselves entails noticing these not-so-pretty parts of ourselves and acknowledging and allowing imperfection to exist. Those parts of ourselves have much to say about the historical journey that brought us to this moment: compassion listens without judgment, encourages positive self-talk, and offers...acceptance.

Kindness is contagious; it ignites healing and guides recovery. It is always available and free. Acts of kindness are a deposit into integrity that has limitless potential for dreams. It offers another person insight into the highest human potential of goodness. I lived much of my life resenting those who hurt me because they were wounded. I always believed in the good that I saw in them but that they could not show me. Recovery allows me to collect the potential they had and channel it through me, restoring generations of trauma. I walk in the footprints of their potential, validating that recovery and beyond work. Generational trauma lives in the souls of those who rarely receive kindness without expecting something in return. Justice is a well-lived life, and acts of kindness are the judge of karma, giving the benefit of the doubt.

Kindness is the most profound truth of ourselves. It gives me insight into my internal health. When sovereignty meets imperfection, it illuminates a choice that shines through as inspiration and dances with connection. It welcomes vulnerability and unlocks the door to a self-made prison that reflects the potential that truth holds as essential. Kindness is the key to freedom and invites the most vital aspect of ourselves to the vast world of the unknown. Kindness exposes the most critical part of ourselves, the part I hide in the shadows because she will be judged. All emotions are valid and can be misjudged, yet kindness leads to increased happiness and lands us in this moment whispering...live.

My experience with random acts of kindness always gives me a surprising shot of joy. As the giver, I am always surprised at the expanded feeling of abundance. As the receiver, I feel valued and seen. Kindness is reciprocal and pays dividends unknown; what I offer up is returned twofold in gratitude. There are infinite possibilities for random acts of kindness, and it is a way to practice devotion. If you need something in your life, like happiness, try devoting time to regular acts of kindness. Acts of kindness could be sending a card to somebody you appreciate, baking a treat for a friend, shoveling your neighbor's walks, buying a coffee for the person ahead of you in line, holding the door open, or a simple smile could make somebody's day. Random acts of kindness create a bridge of empathy to connect with respect. We never know what somebody is going through in their life, and our act of kindness could plant a seed of hope.

One of the most important things we can do for our recovery is to act in kindness. Kindness reveals value for ourselves and the world around us. It shows the goodness of humanity and restores faith. Making kindness a way of life expresses our hope for change. Stigma and shame create barriers to compassion, and kindness can begin to break down those walls. Healing and recovery can flourish in compassionate spaces, and it could start with random acts of kindness. Speak your truth, advocate for system change, and be significant through active participation in kindness. Never underestimate the power of love; it breaks down walls, breaks through stigma, and confronts shame, exclaiming...courage.

by  Andi Daniel, Technology Coordinator

June 20, 2023

We most often hear about radical acceptance in the context of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) but the concept can be applied with other therapies as well. Part of radical acceptance is acknowledging our thoughts about ourselves even if we aren't in the right space to challenge those thoughts directly as with DBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). For me, CBT and DBT are very difficult but I can take pieces of them and improve my mental health. That's not to say that I think CBT and DBT are ineffective therapies, they absolutely can be life-changing for many people, especially those who aren't consciously aware of where their thoughts and behaviors originated from. Often when we can identify why we behave or think in a specific way, it helps us to manage those behaviors and thoughts. After many years of therapy-both individual and group-I am aware of where my thoughts and behaviors come from, but that doesn't help me manage them. The DBT and CBT skills just aren't a good fit for me. Radical acceptance is difficult, but I have managed to apply it to some aspects of my life.

My major behavioral health crisis stemmed from the break up of my marriage. It wasn't something I wanted and I felt like I had failed as both a wife and mother. My emotional reaction to the break up was negatively affecting my children and I was unable to care for them which led to more feelings of failure. I received some inpatient care due to suicidal thoughts for about a week and it didn't change anything for me but they sent me home anyway. The thoughts continued and I had a psychiatric hold that changed things for me. The medical doctor on call told me about her break up and how she had been unable to care for her children for a period of time. That was the hope I needed-although the suicidal thoughts continued and I did attempt suicide about a month later-I was connected with a therapist who was willing to try new things with me.

Some of the best tools that I learned in therapy were Emotion Focused Therapy combined with Emotional Freedom Techniques (both referred to as EFT). Emotion Focused Therapy allows us to experience our unpleasant emotions in a safe space and re-frame them in a way that makes them beneficial or at least not disruptive. We are guided to "sit with" our emotions and feel them as much as we possibly can while observing our thoughts and sensations. This can be a form of radical acceptance. There is no judgement placed on the validity of the emotion. The emotion exists, and we accept that it is there. We don't try to push it away or think our way out of it. We don't try to rationalize it although we may discover the origins of it if we are unaware of the origin before starting a session. Part of the reason I found this helpful was that I was given the opportunity to put my logical brain away for a bit. There was a time limit on how long I would have to sit with the emotions and it made them easier to process. I was often afraid that if I allowed myself to fully feel those emotions, I would be stuck in them and be back in the self-injury and suicidal ideation that had taken over my life for a while.

Using the other EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques, I was able to incorporate radical acceptance. This therapy is sometimes referred to as tapping because it focuses on specific points on the body to tap on while repeating phrases. It helps rewire some of our thinking. My therapist would help me formulate those phrases that always ended with some version of "I totally and completely accept myself." This helped me acknowledge my feelings, thoughts, and behaviors without judgement and to process them in a different way. It also helped me manage my anxiety in the moment if I could just take a few minutes to focus and tap. It helped me be more comfortable at events for my kids, especially those in which I was likely to see my ex-husband.

It also gave me tools to manage the stress and anxiety of being a single parent and helped me talk to my children about their emotions in a nonjudgmental way. I was able to teach them some of the techniques I had learned. Some were helpful to them and others were not but those therapies changed me for the better by improving my mental health which improved my ability to care for my children.