Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator

Winter is upon us and those longer hours of darkness coupled with the colder temperatures can make many people experience those “winter blues.” Throw in a pandemic where we are isolating from others, and I’m afraid we are going to see more people experiencing those blues and maybe worse this season. I have become much more aware recently of the signs of mental health issues having just completed Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and Trauma-Informed Care trainings, and also co-facilitating a youth mental health awareness program called Your Thoughts Matter. I would highly recommend anyone to complete MHFA as the purpose is to help you recognize when someone is having difficulties and be able to respond in a helpful way. And it is very likely that you will need to be there for someone in that circumstance since according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, one in four American adults is diagnosed with a mental disorder in their lifetime and half of those disorders begin by age 14 and three quarters by age 24.
There are many ways to try and prevent those winter blues from sneaking up on us and to maintain positive mental health. Here are just a few tips to get started:     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.