“I am not my thoughts – my thoughts do not define me, nor do they always represent reality.” The most valuable realization I have had in my recovery has been learning about cognitive distortions. These are biased perspectives that we
The Self-Care Complex
Morning routines, healthy eating, and the perfect meditation app – that’s what most of us think about now when we think about self-care. It often feels like there’s pressure from industries to have the perfect self-care routine down flat. Most
Living Between Diagnoses – By Wilder C. Hickney
My name is Wilder Hickney (pronouns she/her or they/them). I am a recent addition to the Colorado Mental Wellness Network community! I work as a contracted consultant with the Network. I’m here to help spread CMWN’s mission of positivity and
Becoming a Peer Specialist – Guest Post by Carrie Baatz
Peer supporters have walked a road through trauma, addiction, mental health conditions or other disabilities. We have made it to another side. On the road, we gained experiential knowledge – understanding you can’t learn from a textbook. Our stories give
Finding the Right Diagnosis
Guest Post by Alex Salazar My name is Alex Salazar and I’ve been recently diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder. Since I was 15 I had the diagnosis of just Paranoid Schizophrenia. I am 21 years old now and on May 22
A Change is Gonna Come
by Aubrey Boggs, Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator CONTENT NOTE: Death of parent This year has been, in a word, difficult for me. I have found my mental health being pressed from every angle. In January, I had
Why Mental Health Awareness Month?
Each May our community recognizes mental health awareness month, a tradition that has existed since 1949 in an effort to shed light on the “normalcy” of mental illness. (1) Is it working? Hard to say. Granted we’ve moved away
Peer Specialist Spolight: Neil’s Story
Interview by Matt Mague/CMWN intern Tony Orlando and Dawn reminded us to Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole’ Oak Tree as Joe Don Baker was Walking Tall. The Miami Dolphins completed the first perfect football season, while the designated
Peer Specialist Training with the Colorado Mental Wellness Network begins March 27th
Our next peer specialist training beings on March 27th, 2017 and runs for three weeks, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Click here for more information and an application. Not sure what a Peer Specialist is or what they do?
It’s time to end the stigma
By Aubrey Boggs, CMWN Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator People use unfriendly language about mental health to express negative feelings about someone quite often. People have called me “crazy”, a “nut job”, “unstable”, and many other cruel words because I have a