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Autism: what it is, what it ain’t, and how time in the outdoors may be helpful
My introduction to autism A few years ago, one of my children was diagnosed with autism. As I listened to the rationale for the surprising diagnosis, I realized that I really knew nothing about autism; I just had a collection of prejudices and phobias informed by society and Hollywood. But I also realized that I…
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Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
I have been volunteering for HIKE for Mental Health for a relatively short period of time. In getting to know more about the organization I wanted to understand how hiking, specifically this organization, raised funds that support mental health, and where the funds were allocated. So I delved more into the website to find out. How Are…
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Greetings from your newest member of the mental health blogging team
Greetings fellow hikers. My name is Tim McNicholl, and I am thrilled to join the Hike for Mental Health team as a contributing blogger on hiking and mental health. I live in Ames, Iowa with my wife and our two teenage sons. I am a professor of mathematics at Iowa State University where I have worked for the…
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PTSD: Part 2
In previous blogs we highlighted the mental health benefits of getting outdoors, as well as an overview of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you have not read those blogs you can find them here. In this blog we share research and experiences of how hiking helps individuals with PTSD. As a reminder, PTSD affects approximately…
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: An Overview
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health disorder that occurs in some people after they experienced a traumatic event. Some examples of such events are violent crimes and attacks, abuse, natural disasters, war, serious accidents, and bullying. Not everyone who has these experiences develops PTSD, but many do. According to Psychiatry.org: PTSD…
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Depressive Disorders: An Overview
Have you ever been sad because you didn’t get that job you wanted or didn’t make the team? Or perhaps you were sad because you had to say goodbye to a friend, or lost a loved one. Sadness is a normal emotion. Everyone feels sad at some point, whether in response to a disappointing situation…
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Anxiety Disorders: An Overview
Our last blog provided a brief overview of mental health, inclusive of many disorders. The next few blogs will provide an overview of specific, and more common, mental health disorders. This blog focuses on anxiety. When does worry, or being anxious, become a disorder? Occasional worry and anxiety is common and a part…
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Post-trail Depression
As we look back on May’s Mental Health Awareness Month HIKE for Mental Health, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association, want to highlight “post-trail depression.” My name is Brayden Donnelly and I have been volunteering with HFMH for eight years. Post-trail depression was something I felt before it was something I knew. I found my way onto…
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Mental Health: An Overview
There is a lot of information available about mental health; so much so that it can sometimes be overwhelming to sort through all of it. With the amount of information available it seems appropriate to share a brief overview of recent data pertaining to prevalence, diagnoses/condition, causes, and treatment of mental health. …
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The Mental Health Benefits of Getting Outdoors
Can spending time outdoors really improve our mental health? The short answer is yes! According to an article by McLean Hospital several research studies have found that time spent in nature can improve our mental health. The article cites specific findings in the improvement of overall mood and attention, as well as the positive effects…
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May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month! To recognize this, we wanted to raise awareness about the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) resources related to mental health and support the conversation about mental illness. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Good mental health can help us cope with stress and improve our…
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Welcome Gina to HIKE for Mental Health!
Hi! My name is Gina Hurley and I am so excited to introduce myself as a new volunteer for HIKE for Mental Health. I will be sharing articles on the website about the latest research across all areas of mental health in order to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness. As a former school psychologist and an…
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AT Alumnus Completes Ironman, Raises $2,600
“The process and the journey which leads to the accomplishment of the goal is the toughest part. Staying disciplined each day, doing the work when the motivation wears off, and the consistency to achieve the long term, delayed gratification goal is the tough part,” says Ironman Cato Lacroix.
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Mental Health Awareness Month: Depression – Addressing Unhelpful Thoughts
Cognitive distortions, or as I prefer to call them, unhelpful thinking styles, are often present when depression is present. Simply put, these are errors in thinking or false beliefs that have been accepted as true. All humans engage in this type of thinking every now and then; but, this type of thinking is often happening…
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Mental Health Awareness Month: Depression – Lifestyle Factors
Depression is exhausting. Everything takes so much more effort and energy. Most days you won’t feel like doing any of the things listed below. Do them anyway. For some, if the depression is severe enough, simply getting out of the bed and showering may seem like an insurmountable task! I understand it’s hard. Instead of…
