{"id":181921,"date":"2025-06-13T19:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T19:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/181921\/"},"modified":"2025-06-13T19:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T19:59:14","slug":"you-cant-run-away-from-depression-summit-resident-opens-up-about-mental-health-struggles-triumph-in-colorado-mountain-towns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/181921\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018You can\u2019t run away from depression\u2019: Summit resident opens up about mental health struggles, triumph in Colorado mountain towns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Dylan Stein poses for a photograph with his skis over his shoulder in Summit County. He took part in Building Hope\u2019s initiative Faces of Hope, which is aimed at reducing stigma around mental health struggles and promoting mental health wellness. Building Hope\/Big Pictures Media<\/p>\n

As a young, active male who loves to ski, Dylan Stein sees himself as the ultimate profile of a typical Summit County resident. He also knows he\u2019s not the only one with darkness to fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Stein moved to the county from Portland, Oregon, in October 2021, he thought the scenery and easy access to the slopes would provide a cure for the depression he\u2019d been battling for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI came out here to run away from my depression,\u201d the 28-year-old said. \u201cI thought once I get out there, I\u2019ll get out of it. The thing is, it follows you wherever you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding a layer of negative feelings, Stein became frustrated with himself knowing he was fulfilling his dream of living in a ski town, but not finding the happiness he had believed would come with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stein had thought he would instantly find like-minded people and make a solid group of friends. It didn\u2019t play out that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to find your community here. It\u2019s so transient. \u2026 I desperately wanted to fit in. It took me a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stein considers himself extremely lucky that he had people to talk to, especially his father. He points out that although his father\u2019s generation was never encouraged to be open about emotions, he always made time to listen and make Stein feel comfortable and safe opening up about his feelings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how much that has meant have a father that listens and allows you to be emotional and vulnerable and has taken those late-night calls when I was going through some hard times,\u201d Stein said. \u201cHe held that space for me. I\u2019m eternally grateful to my mother and father for holding that space, teaching me there\u2019s nothing wrong with being sensitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pursuing a master\u2019s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Adams State University and as Building Hope\u2019s care team coordinator, Stein knows that not everybody is so lucky to have loved ones to call.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Dylan Stein said its helpful to remember that everyone will have good days and bad days and that \u201cyou are never alone.\u201d Building Hope\/Big Pictures Media<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people in tough situations without anyone to talk to. \u2026 I can promise in this county, someone is always willing to listen and willing to help because I am one of those people. You are not alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While skiing is a part of Stein\u2019s journey toward a happier place, talking through his emotions is another major component. In addition to reaching out to family, he has worked through his struggles in counseling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, just having a place to word vomit was helpful,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing able to verbally express your thoughts, they\u2019re a lot more manageable when they\u2019re out there, not just in your mind. Then, it\u2019s about figuring out the root of those dark thoughts and feelings and learning to self-regulate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One major solace he found was that mental health struggles are part of being human.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone really does struggle in one way or another,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 I remember one day looking out at my view from Wildernest \u2026 and thinking, \u2018I wonder who else is feeling this way right now?\u2019 I realized there are probably hundreds of people. I felt so much safer at that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Dylan Stein said although Summit County\u2019s seasonal workforce can create challenges to finding connection, there are resources available that can give people an avenue to share their feelings and struggles, which is a key part of his success journey. Building Hope\/Big Pictures Media<\/p>\n

When Stein first sought therapy, he knew he wanted to speak to a male professional. He discovered they were few and far between. This points to the stigma of mental health treatment, especially as it relates to ideas of traditional gender roles and how men cope with problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of suicides are males. \u2026 That societal pressure to man up and deal with it is super deep,\u201d Stein said. \u201cMen suffer the consequences of not dealing with their mental health. It\u2019s costing them their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stein is often the first point of contact for Building Hope\u2019s new clients. He guides them through the initial step of their mental health journeys, finding a therapist and making sure they understand they are not alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to help lead the charge and show that dealing with mental health is for everyone,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

While Stein knows that the sun will shine, he views the journey of mental health as a lifelong climb up a mountain. There are highs and there are lows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI still have bad days,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 There\u2019s a lot of darkness out there, but you experience it and it makes those shining moments even brighter. There are low points and high points. \u2026 Most importantly, everybody is climbing the mountain. You are never alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note:\u00a0Written by Shauna Farnell, a special projects writer for Building Hope Summit County.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dylan Stein poses for a photograph with his skis over his shoulder in Summit County. He took part…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-181921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114677833064812085","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}