IS THERE A BRIGHT SIDE TO THESE COLD WINTER DAYS?
Here in Utah, cold winter days, air pollution, temperature inversions, and darkness coming abruptly at 5:00 pm make it difficult to live a happy-go-lucky life.
About five percent of adults in the US experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and it lasts about 40 percent of the year. Why don’t those people just exercise or get over their emotions? Because when people are living with depression it clouds judgment, it causes blindness, and it causes emotional turmoil that makes people less aware of their surroundings.
If you feel like those winter blues are getting to you, or maybe your mental illness that is already difficult most of the year is getting worse, there are solutions for you.
The Safe2Feel Conference Emotions are Your Superpower is on January 20th, 2024 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at Utah Valley University’s Clarke Building, Holland Hall. There is a diverse set of speakers who will let you know you’re not the only one who has bad days, including NFL player Bronson Kaufusi.
Curtis Morley, co-founder of Safe2Feel, believes this conference can really make a difference in people’s lives. “This conference is amazing, we’ve done it a couple of times and the last conference we did, we had three people come up to me directly, and one was a 17-year-old girl that said something to the effect of, “Today I thought was going to be my last day on earth. And now I have something to live for,” Morley said. Safe2Feel leads breakout sessions on topics such as counterfeit emotions, emotional energy, mental strategies for success in sports and life, resiliency, and much more.
“The conference is all about giving people a safe place to feel, giving them a place where they can explore their emotions,” Morley said. He decided to found Safe2Feel after his very close friend from college, Jerry Williamson, took his life.
“I’m not okay with how he left this earth. And I truly believe if he would’ve understood the difference between guilt and shame, guilt being a healthy emotion and shame being it’s counterfeit. And pain and misery, pain being healthy and misery being counterfeit, I believe he would still be here,” Morley said.
Keynote speaker Dr. Greg Hudnall, who is a leading figure in suicide prevention via community-led efforts, founder of the HOPE4UTAH non-profit, and creator of Hope Squad — a suicide prevention program that is implemented in 1,700 schools nationwide, will be speaking. Other speakers and topics include an NFL player Bronson Kaufusi, who will share his expertise on overcoming adversity by utilizing mindset training, founders of several nonprofits, renowned mental health advocates, and attempted suicide survivors.
The event will also include a giveaway of several prizes including airpods, snowboards, thread wallets, gift cards, ski passes, Jazz tickets, and more.
Admission to the event is free for teens and adults (12-26), and for parents, educators, and healthcare professionals, admission is $20. Register with this link. U
