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 Kayla Myers, Family Peer Supporter

April 23, 2024

Forgiveness should be a journey, not a destination. What I mean by that is, whether we need to forgive ourselves, friends/family, or people who have wronged us in our lives, that can be a very difficult task. That physical pain we felt, the emotional toll we went through, and the way our bodies grasped those feelings and held onto them tight, can feel like something you will truly never get over. The old saying goes, “Time heals everything.” Well, it sure doesn’t. The reason I say this is because over time, life keeps throwing us curveballs, or as experts, unlike myself like to call it, trauma. It starts stacking inside of us and piling up like deskwork in our brains. When this happens, we are walking through life with unresolved hurt inside of us, and then turn around and project it onto others. So, the very things that hurt us in the beginning, we are now doing those same things to the ones we love, friends, our children, etc.

Counseling, self-reflection, trauma work, EMDR, and a self-wellness plan have been the steps that made a difference for me. Looking back on my journey with therapy, it does make me cringe a little. I was the patient for a long time who talked about the same things repeatedly, but in different forms and with different examples. I attended talk therapy on and off for about five years. While I went every week, to every session, I felt like I was getting nowhere. I was frustrated with myself. I remember vividly thinking, “I am putting in the work on myself and I still feel so stuck and lost.” I had a shift in me one day and knew I needed to get real with myself and dive as deep as I could, so I would move into the brighter days of my life story.

Everyone’s journey is different, so keep this in mind. Any effort we put into improving our overall mental health is going to make you a more forgiving person and add wellness to your life. I have learned so much about myself and been able to forgive the hurt others have caused me, that I never thought I could. I found that where forgiveness was given, whether it’s internally or externally, that’s when my healing truly began. When you can feel yourself not reacting in self-destructive ways, as a response to the doings of others, you start to feel and see the differences in yourself, and the way others perceive you. While navigating the world of forgiveness, it is also important to offer yourself an immense amount of grace. I must constantly remind myself, “I am doing the best job I know how. And if I don’t get it right, I will learn from it and not hang onto it for dear life.” At the end of the day, we are only in charge of ourselves, right? No one else is going to come save us, I mean they can try, but we aren’t learning any lesson in being saved. Self-work comes within and owning the parts I played in the situations that hurt me deeply was my ticket to the start of freedom. I had to remember what my core values were before life happened.  I had to reflect and forgive myself for abandoning myself for so long.

When we start to process, reflect, self-reflect, and forgive, we set an example and all we can do is hope others see the positive changes. In return, your resilience will radiate onto others and hopefully, it can inspire others to do the same. Offering forgiveness after hurt is heroic, takes strength, and gives us our power back. Forgiveness should be a journey, and offering ourselves grace while doing so, that’s the destination.

by  Beth Ayers, Family Peer Support Lead

November 15, 2022

Over the years I have thought a lot about the culture of my family and what I want it to be. Particularly, how I want it to be different from my parents’ culture that I was raised in. And the ways I would like it to be the same. One thing in my life that I have a lot of control over is the culture in my family and our home.

Growing up, I lived in a home with a culture of silence. We didn’t talk about problems because problems didn’t exist if we didn’t talk about them. They also couldn’t affect us if we stayed silent about them. The effects of problems were minimized and ignored through control, alcohol, drugs, blame, guilt, perfectionism, extreme thinking, denial, and enabling. The culture also included a shared responsibility for feelings and choices. I was responsible for making my mom feel sad or angry. My mom was responsible for my choices and consequences that came from them. It was our responsibility to fix each other. One person’s mood affected everyone else’s.

I was determined not to bring this culture into my home and family as an adult. It is important to me to create a culture of truth and accountability. To own and share my feeling and to take responsibility for getting my needs met. Some tools I have used to build this culture in my family are therapy (individual, family, and marriage), my faith, journaling, Al-Anon, self-care, medication, expressing my feelings without blaming them on anyone, admitting when I am wrong and apologizing, and continuing to learn and grow in my recovery. I want my kids to know that feelings are okay, hard conversations need to happen and we will survive them, perfection is impossible, life is messy, we can only control ourselves, and recovery is possible. This is the culture I hope I created, or at least continue to work towards creating in my family and home.

There were also behaviors and beliefs that I wanted to continue, that I valued about the family culture I grew up in. Some are eating dinner together, doing special and thoughtful things for others, taking family trips, celebrating the holidays with family, and financial responsibility, among others. These were important to me and as an adult I made sure they were included in creating my family’s culture.

Every family has their own culture. They have behaviors, beliefs, and values that influence the home and shape the family’s culture. As children, there are parts of our family’s culture that we appreciate and want to continue. And there are parts that don’t work for us. We have the ability, as adults, to change these parts and create a different culture for our home. Through intentional evaluation and work, we can create a culture in our home that support us and our recovery and those in our family.