Mental Health Wilderness First Aid

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1/26/2022

Daye's brief reflection on Outside Magazine: Stresses of seasonal work

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As a seasonal guide, I (Daye) averaged 100-140 days in the field, from surf beaches to old growth trails. I often told people, "I get to wake up each morning thinking, 'There's nowhere else in the world I would rather be today' - not everybody has that." Guiding and the outdoors got me through a lot in life, and helped strengthen me in to the person I am.

At the same time, as this all-too-short article from Outside Magazine touches on, the changing of the seasons each November brought with it a predictable shift in spirit. My work was 3 seasons: my love affair with water in its liquid form only. Each winter I felt like I was floundering, drowning even, as I struggled to patch together income, housing, and relationships, knowing that the following spring would bring further change. I predictably spiralled further in to self-doubt, mood disruption, and shame each successive fall. Although I loved the seasonal work, it was this annual instability that played a primary motivation for me to pursue a Master's degree and a career change to become a clinical counsellor. Now, I integrate outdoor and guiding work in a different way, with mental health as a personal and professional focus -- but it's taken a lot to get here.

Read the Outside Magazine article at: https://www.outsideonline.com/health/wellness/seasonal-guide-mental-health-stress/

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1/16/2022

Winter Wellness

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Join Daye for a snowy winter walk as she introduces a few mental health practices in nature.  How many of these techniques do you remember from your MHWFA Basic class?
Covered in this video: 
  • Diaphragmatic breathing: Negative stress dysregulates the nervous system, and one of the first places this shows up is in our breathing.  By consciously returning to a diaphragmatic belly breath, we can send signals to settle our lizard brain and reduce our "fight, flight, or freeze" response.
  • Mindfulness: 5-4-3-2-1, an excellent sensory grounding practice for anxiety, stress, or trauma response for helping regulate and re-orient the nervous system.
  • Tapping: Simple tapping is an energetic practice with roots in Eastern philosophy as well as in evidence-based modern psychology.  By activating certain points on the body, the nervous system is regulated.  Tapping at a rate that mimics a heartbeat at rest, around 60-80bpm, further regulates the limbic system and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.

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    Author

    Donetta Faye (Daye) Cooper Hagel is a clinical counsellor, veteran wilderness guide, and director of the Mental Health Wilderness First Aid program on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.  Read more about her and the MHWFA on the About Us page!

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  • Home
  • About / Contact
    • About MHWFA
    • Meet the Team
    • Blog
    • Specials >
      • Manual
      • Special Offers
      • SKGABC
      • CO Strong
    • Contact Us
  • MHWFA Courses
    • Open Courses
    • Custom Courses
    • Recertifying
  • Events & Guest Speakers
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Helplines & other trainings
    • Recommended Reading
    • MHWFA Printables
  • Current Students
    • 2023-02 Basic Course
    • 2023-03 Basic Course
    • 2023-03 UPGRADE TO STANDARD
    • 2023-04 Basic Course
    • 2023-04 Outward Bound