HEALING MOUNTAIN MENTAL HEALTH

Recovery in Action: Peer Support as a Profession

4/7/2023

Many of us in the mental health field or helping professions are what Carl Jung described as "wounded healers", but no profession is better suited to this archetype than that of the peer support specialist. This last year, I took Peer Support 101 with Montana's Peer Network and became certified as a peer support specialist. To be quite honest, the training itself was a huge catalyst in some of the amazing steps I have taken in the past few months. In fact, I would say that being a peer support specialist has changed my life, and I think everyone should know about it.

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From Body Shame to Radical Body Acceptance

1/4/2023

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My story of resilience, joy, and freedom.

This post talks about eating disorders, dieting, suicidal ideation, and childhood trauma. If you are suffering from an eating disorder and need to talk to someone, contact the NEDA Helpline here, and if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts and need someone to talk to, dial 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

About six months ago, I was on the keto diet (again). I have always been very good at keeping to diets. Sometimes, I would reserve my minuscule carbohydrate allowance for a treat-- one Hershey's kiss, a cracker, even a fruit (how I missed apples!). Other times, I would be measuring out sour cream, choking down dry keto "bread", and eating spoonfuls of sugar-free peanut butter because I craved sugar and carbs so much.

In the back of my mind, I was aware of the
fact that the keto diet wasn't advisable. However, if you look up "ketosis" on Google, the first thing you come across is how ketosis supposedly increases energy, treats chronic diseases, and, most importantly for me, promotes weight loss. I didn't care if those health benefit claims were actually true. I didn't care how else it might have affected my body, if only my body was smaller. But after the first ten pounds, I didn't see any difference. In the meanwhile, I was constantly limiting myself as to what I could eat, and if I messed up I would feel the familiar sting of guilt and shame. I felt like I was betraying the person that I wanted to be: model-thin, beautiful, happy, finally. I'd always struggled with how I looked, but I thought if I could just be skinny, I would finally be beautiful.

"I didn't care how else it might have affected my body, if only my body was smaller."

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Why We Put the "2S" in LGBTQIA2S+: Fighting the Erasure of Indigenous Culture

10/6/2022

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By Sam Martin

Upon reading our mission statement, you might be confused by the "2S" in LGBTQIA2S+. However, we believe it's vitally important to include-- here's why.

As a mixed race Chippewa-Cree (Nehiyawahk) and Latinx woman, there have been many ways in which I have fought off the erasure of my own identity.

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Our Favorite Mental Health Apps-- And Why We Love Them!

8/9/2022

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(Disclaimer: these apps are not meant to replace therapy with a licensed clinician, treatment for severe mental illnesses, or for medical or mental health emergencies).

These days, we are always glued to our phones-- reposting memes, doomscrolling on TikTok, making our self esteem worse by comparing ourselves to Instagram models, saving hundreds of recipes on Pinterest that we'll never cook, and reading depressing news stories. So, how do we use our distraction cubes to actually better ourselves and improve our lives? Luckily, some amazing humans out in the world have created apps with your mental and physical health in mind!

We found some of them-- and tested them for you! Here are our favorites:

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Recovery in Action: Peer Support as a Profession

From Body Shame to Radical Body Acceptance

Why We Put the "2S" in LGBTQIA2S+: Fighting the Erasure of Indigenous Culture

Our Favorite Mental Health Apps-- And Why We Love Them!

SaM Martin

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