Blog

Shoulder Season Sorrow

By Anne Hosey, LPC

Depression Seasonal Mental Health Self-Worth Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Posted: October 18, 2024

It’s fall in Colorado—the aspens have peaked and dropped their golden bangles and the heat in my office is on an unpredictable rollercoaster. Shoulder season in Colorado mountain towns has a very specific vibe, and when you're a mountain town person there's a lot to take care of during these transitional months. For those of us who tend towards depression, shoulder season throws us an additional challenge in the form of thoughts and feelings of dread when facing the dark winter months. Let's do some mental health prepping during shoulder season so you're more prepared for the cold months ahead.

On Getting Stuck, and Getting Moving Again

By Anne Hosey, LPC

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Personal Growth

Mental Health Skills Personal Growth

Posted: September 24, 2024

I recently moved, which got me thinking about stuckness versus stability. In ACT, we talk and think a lot about willingness. Willingness doesn’t come naturally to us humans. Avoidance, the opposite of willingness, is a much more conditioned response in our nervous system. Willingness is a skill we can use when we feel stuck to help us get moving again.

Colorado Comparison Disorder: Summer 2024 Edition

By Anne Hosey, LPC

Self-Worth

Posted: July 15, 2024

Summer is in full swing in Durango—the trails are dusty, the rivers are back down to a trickle, and Lake Nighthorse has reached a tolerable swimming temperature. The Animas is chock full of small, colorful boats and groups of gangly adolescent geese, and bikers are woo-hooing down the jump trails in the Gulch. ‘Tis the season for increased play and for filling the long sunny days with fun. It’s also the season when Colorado Comparison Disorder—a common and under-acknowledged problem here in our great state—rears its MIPS-protected head.

Summertime Sadness

By Anne Hosey, LPC

Seasonal Mental Health Depression

Negative Self-Talk

Posted: July 1, 2024

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subset of depression characterized by depressive symptoms linked to seasonal changes. Generally, when we think of seasonal depression we think of winter, but I actually see a lot of summer seasonal affective disorder here in Southwest Colorado. Summer SAD is characterized by irritability, lack of motivation, low energy, guilt, and an increase in negative self-talk, and seems to be related to the repetitively hot, dry, windy days that dominate the southwestern summer.