Author: Lauren Hansen

By Lauren Hansen, LCMHC

The last month has been hard. Really hard. My life, as I have known it, has been flipped upside down. My children no longer go to school, my husband no longer goes to work, I am trying to figure out online learning platforms, we are all inside of our home 24 hours a day; I feel like I’m in a pressure cooker. If I allowed my emotions to rule, I would be a complete wreck.

When I step back and take a deep breath, I can recognize how grateful I am — even when the future seems uncertain. Not everything needs to be sunshine and rainbows; however, if I allow myself to stay in that dark place (where I grieve what things used to be, feel overwhelmed, angry and upset), then I remain stuck. Now don’t get me wrong, I need to acknowledge and feel those feelings, but if I allow them to rule my reality, then I am heading in a direction I do not want to go.

BE AWARE OF COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS

During this pandemic, I have noticed myself needing a reminder to reframe my negative thoughts and recognize when I have a cognitive distortion.

What are cognitive distortions? Cognitive distortions happen when we perceive the world, or things that happen to us or around us, in a way that does not reflect reality. I describe it to my clients as a pair of sunglasses that we use to view the world around us. If we look at the world, and our interactions with others through a dark or colored lens, then things appear bleak or tainted.  We can allow those cognitive distortions to re-affirm a negative belief about ourselves, or we can recognize the distortion and reframe that negative thought or idea.

Examples of cognitive distortions:

• All or Nothing Thinking: Viewing circumstances on one extreme or another rather than a continuum, seeing things as black or white.
• Personalization: Thinking that the negative views or behaviors of others have something to do with you.
• Mind Reading: Believing you know what others are thinking or feeling.
• Magnification/Minimization: Focusing on the negatives of a situation or ignoring the positives of a situation.
• Emotional Reasoning: Viewing the circumstance solely from your emotional standpoint. If I feel this way, this must be true.
• Should/Must Statements: People or things “should” or “must” be this way.
• Catastrophizing: Because a person or situation did not go as expected, all things are lost, and only adverse outcomes will follow.

REFRAMING COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS

So what do we do once we recognize we are experiencing a cognitive distortion? I believe the first thing we need to do is stop and allow ourselves to remove those lenses. Give ourselves a moment to slow down, breathe, and evaluate whether or not we perceive the world around us through one of those cognitive distortions. If we are, allow ourselves to reframe that thought — for example:

“This pandemic is going to last forever, and I will never again be able to spend time with my friends and get outside of my house.”

Type of cognitive distortions: catastrophizing, emotional reasoning, all or nothing thinking and magnification/minimization

REFRAME: “This is really hard. My life has significantly changed, and sometimes I feel stuck. This pandemic will not last forever. It is okay to recognize how much this pandemic has affected my life and those around me.”

It is especially important not to get into a shame cycle when we recognize we are experiencing a cognitive distortion. It is neither good nor bad; it just is. If you allow yourself to feel bad or guilty because of cognitive distortion, we stay stuck in that negative place. Allow yourself to notice what is and reframe accordingly.

My hope for us all in the coming months is to recognize those negative beliefs or cognitive distortions and reframe them with a newfound awareness and acceptance. This pandemic experience is new for all of us. If we can allow ourselves to be gentle with ourselves and those around us, I believe we will be better for it and better because of it.

If you recognize that you or someone you know is struggling, please feel free to reach out. There is a wealth of mental health resources, support groups, and individual therapists in our area. Several are providing telehealth services that are being covered by most insurance companies. You are not alone. We are not alone. We are in this together — as a community. We will be stronger and better on the other side of this. Please take care of yourself and those around you. Show them, and yourself, love, grace, compassion, and understanding.

Lauren Hansen, LCMHC, is a counselor at Purple Sky Counseling in Heber and The Christian Center Of Park City. She specializes in parenting, anxiety, depression, emotion regulation, family counseling, parent coaching, grief/loss, boundaries, relationship, problems, trauma (EMDR trained), mindfulness, self-esteem/self-worth, premarital and marital counseling using the prepare/enrich materials.

As a mental health therapist, it has been part of my education, training, and work, to encourage self-care. Taking care of oneself can be such an abstract idea and isn’t as black and white as other things. What defines self-care?

I believe that varies individual to individual. If I could define self-care, it would be anything that fills you, gives you perspective to see things more clearly, and gives you the space to re-engage in your every-day responsibilities.

When I meet with clients, by in large, the most important thing I encourage them to do is find a self-care routine or practice. We all are doing the best we can; going to school, keeping jobs, paying bills, in relationships with others around us, raising children, supporting our elderly parents, discovering what we want in life. Whatever phase of life you’re in — you are likely being pulled in a hundred different directions — feeling the need to keep all the balls in the air. Let’s be honest for one second — life can be hard. Life can be difficult, painful, excruciating, messy, beautiful, and everything wrapped up in one. But how do we stay focused on what we want, care for ourselves, and be intentional? I believe the answer is self-care.

How To Practice What I Preach

Last night, during the final 10 minutes or so of my session with a client, I began to feel nauseous and had a horrible headache. I rarely get migraines, but when I do, it isn’t pretty. I immediately recognized the need to cancel my two remaining sessions and go home. On my drive home, I thought about how busy life had been for me over the past three months. With the holidays, hosting family, meeting with additional clients in need of support over the holidays, and the overall busyness of life hit me. It is common to have physical symptoms be the first sign that we are stretched too thin or are anxious or depressed. It became clear to me; I needed to carve out some time the next morning to rest and do some self-care. I canceled plans with dear friends who were, of course, understanding and supportive.

Re-Evaluating Priorities

Spring represents so much — new life, rebirth, renewal, the awakening of beauty around us, and a fresh start. As I head into this spring season, I am going to invite all of us to renew, refresh, and refocus on what is important. I often tell my clients to evaluate their top two or three priorities? Many say family, faith, friendships, work, active lifestyle, wellness, health, the list goes on. I would encourage you to identify and consider what your top priorities are and use those as your framework to how you live your life. What does that mean? I believe those priorities become the lens you view your life through and guide where and how you spend your time.

Consider this with me; time is truly our most precious resource. None of us is guaranteed we will live past today, tomorrow, or even through the next hour. Once we realize that, we view things differently. The commitments we have made may need to be re-evaluated; we may need to learn to say no to things that take us away from our priorities. We need to find a balance. Life should not be a list where we check off each of our commitments. Instead of dreading life and all we need and want to accomplish, we should be intentional and present with the time we have.

So how do we do that? How do we learn to find balance, intention, and joy in all that we do? I would strongly suggest that we achieve those things by recognizing our need for self-care and making ourselves a priority. Self-care has a positive ripple effect on all those we come in contact with. The opposite is also true if we are not taking care of ourselves; we can have a negative impact on those around us.

What are some practical ways to practice self-care? First: recognize your need for self-care. How do you feel physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally? Your awareness is going to be the most critical aspect of self-care. If you don’t recognize your need for it, it will not become a priority. Second: think about the things that fill you emotionally and spiritually. What brings you joy, creativity, and helps you feel balanced? I encourage all of us to embrace all that spring represents and find balance and renewal in our lives. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for professional support.

What Does Self-Care Look Like?

Getting outside to enjoy some fresh air
Go for a walk
Journal
Find an artistic outlet (painting, drawing, etc.)
Read a book
Turn off your cell phone
Plan an activity with friends
Learn to say no to commitments or things that take you away from your priorities
Spend time with people you love
Try a new hobby
Bake
Take a nap
Take a bubble bath
Listen to calming music
Spend some time with yourself
Exercise
Meditate
Meet with a professional

learn more information at CCPC Counseling Center  |  970-217-1273  |  ccofpc.org

Are you SAD? You’re not alone. Seasonal Affective Disorder is more common than you may think.

In the winter months, is it more difficult to get out of bed? Do you have less energy or motivation? Do you experience a decreased mood, have difficulty sleeping or struggle to concentrate? Do you feel agitated, lose interest in the things you typically enjoy or feel like you want to crawl into your bed for the entirety of winter?

If so, you may struggle with SAD.

Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is linked to the changing of seasons and most often occurs during the fall and winter. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) classifies SAD under major depressive or bipolar disorders with a specifier of “with seasonal pattern.”

As with many mental health issues, there may be a stigma around acknowledging that one struggles with SAD, but identification and diagnosis are key to getting help and support.

Living in the Heber Valley, we are more at risk to struggle with SAD. This is due to living at high altitude and living farther away from the equator. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there is an established correlation of increased SAD diagnosis for those that live farther north or south of the equator.

The NIMH recognizes other risk factors for SAD, including being female (females are four times more likely to be diagnosed with SAD than males), having depression or bipolar disorders, and age (young adults are more at risk than older adults).

The causes of SAD are unknown but biological associations have been established with lower levels of serotonin (the neurotransmitter that makes us feel “happy”), higher levels of melatonin (less sunlight is linked to an increase in melatonin production) and lower levels of Vitamin D. Diagnosis and education are key to reducing symptoms of SAD and addressing treatment options.

Treating SA And The Importance Of Self-Care

The most effective treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder include talk therapy, medication and light therapy. Speaking with a professional counselor can also help address self-care and coping skills. Medication can lessen the symptoms of SAD and medical professionals often prescribe SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) for depression and SAD. SSRIs work by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain.

Light therapy can also be an effective treatment. Light therapy involves being exposed to bright, artificial light on a daily basis for 20 to 60 minutes. Light therapy lamps can be purchased online and have been found to be very effective in treating SAD.

Whether we struggle with SAD or not, it is especially important to take care of ourselves over the winter months and holidays. During the holiday season, we tend to spend increased time with family and friends. This may cause additional stress and anxiety during an already overwhelming time of the year.

The weather can also affect our mood and complicate stress and anxiety. During the winter, we tend to stay indoors and may become less active than other seasons of the year. For many of us, however, being outdoors and active is therapeutic and can boost our serotonin levels.

Be Kind To Yourself

Self-care and self-compassion are critical for everyone — whether you struggle with SAD or not. It is empowering to recognize the need to care for ourselves and be intentional in doing so. It is not selfish to care for yourself — it is the greatest gift you could ever give yourself and those around you.

The Heber Valley has an amazing network of clinicians and is a great place to stay active and healthy during the winter months. So, get outside, enjoy the beautiful, crisp fresh air and soak up some sunlight. And if you or someone you love struggles with SAD, don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and family, or seek professional support. It’s okay to ask for help.