Mountain Town Malaise

Well folks, we made it through January here in the Colorado mountains. Even after living in the Southwest for almost 15 years, I’m still amazed at the number of seasons we have between January and May: not-enough-snow-and-panicking season, too-much-snow-and-shoveling-injury season, mud season, wind season, a plethora of false springs, pollen season, snowmelt/runoff season...and I'm sure there are a few I'm forgetting. 

February seems like a good time to talk about the particular mental health challenges of mountain town living, especially in Durango. Once Snowdown (our annual winter town party involving epic costumes, a parade, lots of drinking, and events like Outhouse Stuffing and Giant Jenga) is over, the rest of the late winter/early spring season(s) can seem pretty bleak.

I’m calling it “Mountain Town Malaise.” It’s like depression, but for mountain town people. Here in the mountains, we get our own special kind of depression. Lucky us?

Mental health in mountain towns gets hard for a lot of different reasons, but I think one of the fundamental difficulties is the idea that we shouldn’t have mental health challenges. People around you might say: “You live in a magical playground! What is there to complain about?!” I bet you even say that to yourself sometimes.  

Comparing: Helpful or unhelpful?

(Since I brought it up, let's talk briefly about mental  comparisons. When you find yourself downgrading your own difficulties, try asking yourself: is making this comparison helpful? 

For example, if you’re living in a mountain town and struggling with depression, and you tell yourself to suck it up because other people live in like…cities…what happens? Do you suddenly find yourself depression-free? If not, then thoughts comparing your experience to others or downgrading your own difficulties are probably not very helpful.)

I believe normalizing depression in mountain towns is important, and I know I'm not alone. I've seen a big push over the last ten years or so to be much more open about the mental health issues we might experience living in the mountains. In fact, I just received a flier for an event happening NEXT WEEk on this very topic. It's important to remember that even if our lives look sparkly and shiny on Instagram, there can be real pain underneath. 

Here are a few aspects of mountain town living that I believe contribute to Mountain Town Malaise. Are there any that resonate with you?

Mountain Town Malaise: Contributing Factors

• You live in a drinking town with a skiing/biking/paddling problem. As I’m sure you know, there is a lot of drinking integrated into mountain town culture. Just finished a bike ride? Have a parking lot beer. Long day on the slopes? Stop at The Nugget for a few drinks. Going on a river trip? You better have your cooler stocked. It can be hard to separate mountain town life from drinking culture. 
  
  For some people, this might be no big deal. But for others—people who are struggling with substance use, people who are sober, people who have had bad experiences with alcohol-related social interactions—this overlap can be a real pain point.
  
  
• It can be tough to find/break into a community. I’ve lived in a lot of mountain towns since I left my hometown for college. I’ve found, and have heard from others, that mountain towns of the west are particularly difficult to break into, community-wise. 
  
  I think some of this is the transient nature of mountain towns, and some of it is western culture, a sort of crusty, independent vibe that those who have lived in the west for a long time can start to adopt.  
  
  
• Colorado Comparison Disorder: I was blown away by the level of skill and athleticism I encountered when I moved out west. There I was, lil’ old me, out on the bike trails with pros and Olympians. I mean, most five year olds in Durango are better mountain bikers than I am. This can lead to a bad case of Colorado Comparison Disorder, a condition wherein you end up comparing yourself to other Colorado athletes and finding yourself wanting. This can lead to increased self-criticism and negative beliefs about yourself and your worth, which can in turn lead to an increase in depression. 
  
  
• Wages lag behind: Ask anyone who’s worked in Durango for a long time, especially people like teachers, professors, nurses, servers, and other community-based professions, and they’ll tell you that wages seem to be stuck about a decade behind other parts of the country, despite our astronomical cost of living. “The Durango Tango,” is a local term for the job shuffle many Durangoans have to do just to make rent and buy groceries. I imagine this is the case in many mountain towns; people end up holding two or three jobs just to make it work. 

The Durango Tango

• Housing is unattainable:  Zillow told me the other day that the average home price in our area is over 750,000 dollars. Now that’s a depressing number. Going back to the wages thing, creeping up on a million dollars is not an attainable home price for most people, especially if you’re an aforementioned nurse, teacher, bartender, professor, or server. 
  
  
• Lack of resources: I attended a gathering of mental health professionals a few weeks ago, and our conversation about resources kept running up against roadblocks. “They don’t offer that service any more,” or “said person who is an expert in A isn’t taking new clients,” or “expert in B is booked out months in advance.” We have a lot of highly experienced, hard-working helpers in our community, but sometimes the demand outpaces the available resources. 
  
  
• Monoculture: If you’re an artistic dreamer who prefers reading and video games to freezing on the slopes, mountain town living might be challenging. Maybe you’d rather curl up with a good book than summit a mountain. Feeling like an outlier in a mountain town can lead to more comparison and negative beliefs about yourself, again contributing to depression and malaise. 

Mountain Town Malaise: What to Do About It

Finding yourself with a bad case of the mountain town blues this winter? Here are a few ways you might move towards better mental health:

• Take a break from drinking: Yay for dry January; I love seeing so many people participate these days. I'm also into the whole sober-curious trend as a concept. And, if you’re a big Snowdowner, you might be thinking about dry February as well. 
  
  Alcohol is a depressant, so if you’re finding yourself feeling down you might want to consider more long-term moderation. This is of course way easier said than done, but tools like low pressure tracking apps and non-alcoholic substitutes might be a jumping off point.

Your people are out there!

• Find your people: Your people are out there…just know it might take a little more work than it would elsewhere. And, if you’re feeling like you have to constantly be achieving and striving in order to fit in with a certain friend group, just know that you don’t have to keep doing that if it’s making you feel like crap. 
  
  Many moons ago and in a very different mountain town I tried ultimate frisbee, and walked away feeling pretty bad about myself after every practice and social gathering. Eventually I gave up, and it was a really good choice for my mental health. I played rec soccer instead, and found people who liked to go hard but who didn’t take themselves so seriously. 
  
  Finding your people also helps with the monoculture thing. There are people who both love to ski AND enjoy puzzling (or just puzzling), it just might take a minute to find them. 
  
  
• Low Pay isn't Your Fault: I have to admit, I don’t have a great solution or suggestion for the wages and housing unattainability piece. Or, maybe its more fair to say that I know it's not a you problem. 
  
  Depending on where you are in life and how committed you are to mountain town living, one thought is to stick with it. I still wouldn’t say that my wages keep up with cost of living, but having lived and worked in the area for a long time, it has gotten better. The longer you’re here, the more people you meet, and knowing more people in a small town dramatically increases your opportunities. 
  
  
• Ask for help: Yes, we have some resource challenges in the area. We also have a lot of smart, dedicated people working on those challenges. Reach out to your support system if you’re in need, and ask for help or suggestions. You’ll be amazed at what some of your connections will rustle up for you. 
  
  
• Stop comparing: Ok, you might never be an Olympic athlete, but you’re doing just fine. Some people can hang out on Strava all day and never have a judgmental thought about themselves, but for others that s**t is just as toxic as alcohol. Pay attention to what you’re telling yourself about your athleticism, level of fitness, and get-after-it-ness. If it’s becoming pretty negative, it might be time to take a break from the apps, or talk to a professional. 

If all of this stuff is feeling overwhelming, that is so very understandable. It’s a lot! We do have a strong crew of therapists in this community, so start shopping around and find someone who you feel comfortable talking to. Therapy does wonders for Mountain Town Malaise and other flavors of depression. 

Speaking of therapy, I work with women ages 25-40 who are struggling with things like anxiety, depression, trauma, and low self-confidence. I offer a complimentary 15 minute call to anyone in that population who is interested in working with me, and it's super easy to schedule on my website. Thanks for reading, and hope to talk to you soon.