Colleen Johnston Counseling

01/01/2026

The frigid temps kept people home and hunkered down. I'm so happy we chose to brave the weather anyway! The trail is protected from the wind, so the 10° temp didn't feel like it. Winter has it's own unparalleled beauty. ❄️
My hubby hiked and he commented how much better he feels afterwards. He's recovering from surgery on his arm and the fresh air and endorphins gave him a boost. And how wonderful to meet Oscar Yuan in person! Thanks for showing up to the 2026 New Year's Day hike. Trail conversations are the best.

12/31/2025

Hahaha, nice cover photo! 😁 Just a quick message to encourage everyone. Happy New Year and hope to see you on the trail tomorrow. For those of you from far away, thank you for following and hope you get outside for a walk to kick off the New Year tomorrow. 🎉

As we close 2025 down, I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone and give encouragement! Thanks for watching my channel and for sharing my content. Wishin...

12/30/2025

I'd love to have you join me for my 2nd annual New Year's Day hike at Ontario Pathways, parking at Ontario County Fairgrounds. 10am, regardless of weather! Definitely wear suitable winter gear and maybe even bring walking sticks!
Benefits include breathing fresh air, getting some joyful movement (trudging through snow counts! 🤣), connection to nature, fellow hikers, and a reminder that you count! Hiking is known to elevate mood and is a wonderful way to start 2026 on a positive adventure.
If you are so inclined, we could all join up at Wegmans afterwards for a hot beverage and snack. You can let me know in the comments if you plan on joining, or just show up! I'll be there. ❄️🌲

12/27/2025

Reflect, Restore, Rest. Christmas is behind us. I invite you to be intentional about carving time out to get off the phone (too much AI!) and reflect, restore, and rest. Reflect on the "glimmers" in your life, moments that you noticed beauty, joy, humor, the good stuff. Restore yourself with water to flush away all the salt, sugar and cheese! 😆 And rest. Read a book, take a nap, watch favorite shows, journal encouragement to yourself, snuggle with your pet, or just BE. You are enough to just be. It's really ok.
📝 Note to self: I would love to have you join me on a New Year's Day walk! I did this last year at Ontario Pathways trailhead at Ontario County Fairgrounds. Check back here for specifics in a few days! In the meantime, rest up and take care. ☺️

12/21/2025

Winter is officially upon us. The seasons keep changing, just like the seasons of our lives. Growing older is so often viewed as a negative in our culture. Fear based thoughts of declining health, being out of touch, not attractive, etc. pervade us constantly.
🚨Counter culture message incoming!!🚨
It is a fact that our human bodies are vulnerable to illness and injury at ANY age. It is NOT a fact that with each birthday, we need to dread the inevitable of decline in ourselves. I have an aversion to comments like, "sucks getting old!" This seems so defeatist to me. There are people of ALL ages dealing with chronic pain, injury, illness, etc. My encouragement for today...do NOT subscribe to those ageist beliefs!
Subscribe to actual accounts that inspire and embrace older people being incredible! Growing Bolder, Old Lady Gains, Running Like a Wrinkly are 3 social media accounts that encourage creativity, strength, and self-acceptance. Being engaged in hopeful stories and being curious what lights up in YOU are great ways to combat depression, loneliness, and even anxiety.
Be aware of the ads, reels, and more coming at you that depict people in their 50s and beyond as ancient, not good enough, blah blah blah. Screw that!
I will leave you with the story of 80 year old Natalie Grabow, who made history in October 2025 as the oldest woman to complete the grueling Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii! She said her favorite part of it all was her training. That means the daily grind of getting out there, keeping her goal in mind. What is your dream? What fear is keeping you stuck? What yucky messages are getting in your way? You have been through so much. Your time is NOW! Baby steps, Baby! What's your adventure? 💞
(A month ago I had panic with my face in the water. Not anymore! 💦🩵)

12/19/2025

Yes. 😊

Day 19 of my advent.

Peace, love and goodwill.

That’s it. That’s all. Just whisper peace when you feel the mercury rising and radiate calm into every cell of your being.

It radiates, it ripples, it helps 💛

D x

12/14/2025

As promised, today's post is about body dysmorphia. It is a complex disorder and in my opinion, is on a continuum. It can be relatively mild, but also so extreme that it can be deadly. My purpose here, is to increase your own awareness of the thoughts you say about yourself, and thus the behaviors that may follow.

I grew up in diet culture! Usually said in a jesting tone, adults whom i loved, would cut down their own body parts, and even hit themselves, such as in their abdomen. I still hear this language and see restrictive eating patterns in older people. As long as we're still breathing, there is still time to recognize this negative pattern, interupt it, and make a better choice.

In the IFS approach (Internal Family Systems) we look at different parts of our personalities. Often, there are "manager parts" who are sending these negative, critical messages in an effort to maintain control or to protect the person from getting hurt. They're not "bad", they are literally trying to help. A first step may be to recognize when this part gets in the driver's seat. It is not the true self! It's just a part. Name it even. Like, "Oh, here's Joyce on the scene to scare me into staying small and not taking a risk." (Just an example.)

Another helpful strategy, is to ask yourself if you would ever speak to your best friend the way you're talking to yourself. If not, how would you speak? You might be an "encourager!" If so, practice that on yourself. Example, "I have seen how badly you want to take better care of yourself. All it takes is one baby step and you'll be started. I got you and you deserve to be here!"

If these suggestions feel too overwhelming, I encourage you to talk about it with someone who won't make it all about themselves. A safe person, therapist, coach, health professional, really emotionally safe friend. For now, know that body dysmorphia is so common for many reasons. However, we ALL have imperfect bodies. Yet acknowledging all that imperfect body does for you every moment, is a great place to start. You deserve to show up! 🥰

12/10/2025

A powerful way to keep being optimistic, energized, and hopeful is to set some PERSONAL GOALS. Meaningful to YOU goals! As 2025 winds down, it's helpful to look back over the year and review "the good stuff." What were the amazing moments for you? What lit you up? What was interesting, challenging, calming? During the tough times, are you giving yourself credit for staying the course? Not giving up?

I encourage you to think about what scares you, and do THAT! Maybe that means signing up for college, starting a business, doing a 5k, regular weight training, volunteering...💡

For me, the end of 2025 has been so exciting because I leaned into my fear of lap swimming. Like doing the breathing thing while swimming! I was surprised at how panicky it made me feel to have my face under the water. A few weeks into practicing it, I feel calm! Back in 2004 I participated in the inaugural Musselman sprint distance triathlon. Thank goodness the swimming course was mostly in relatively shallow water! I have not done a triathlon since. Guess what is on my radar for 2026? 😬 I'm a little scared, but excited too!

I believe in keeping records of the good stuff. Pictures, scrapbooks, journals, tiny pieces of paper in a jar...then we can relive these best of times. I encourage you to join me in looking to the future with anticipation of the hard work it will take to achieve the goals, and knowing the struggle is what makes us better people. If you share what your goals are, it then makes them real! 🥰🩵

12/07/2025

Counter-culture alert ⚠️ I'm not here to sell you anything. I just came in from a run with some ideas to share. I'll be doing a series for the rest of 2025. As a mental health therapist for 30 years (😳) I have gleaned some wisdom. Topics will include:
✅️ Personal goals
✅️Curiosity vs Judgment
✅️Emotional Health & Physical Movement
✅️Ageism
✅️Body Dysmorphia

That was a long run to think about all of that, lol! Today's topic: Drugs! On my run down a country road, I could smell w**d. At 10am on a Sunday. That got me thinking about how our culture is very drug focused. We use substances to calm down, to regulate ourselves, to let down the walls, to control our weight, etc. My encouragement for the day...if you are using w**d or alcohol regularly, be mindful when you are using it. What is your "why"? What are the consequences of it, if any? If you drink, keep track of how much. Like literally write down how much each day you drink. Just for your own information (and even wake up call!). If you are prescribed weight loss medication, are you mindful of moving your body? Making new routines of movement to create strength and endurance?

It is possible to empower ourselves with healthy habits. We can start with asking the Why of each choice we make. Let's finish 2025 with even baby steps towards being healthy and strong!

11/09/2025

In his book, "Can't Hurt Me," David Goggins challenges us to do what we're afraid of. I took his challenge personally. I knew right away...I need to face my avoidance of swimming. The kind of swimming where you breathe rhythmically and powerfully. The kind of swimming that could lead to doing triathlons! Yesterday I faced that fear. I got uncomfortable. I panicked a little when I was asked to put my face in, as I swam. But I kept trying. And guess what? I started to relax! I'm excited to keep learning and improving. I also learned that Natalie Grabow, the 80 year old woman who just broke the record for oldest female finisher of a full triathlon, taught herself to swim at age 59, and did her first triathlon at 60. Lightbulbs went off in my head! 💡What inspires you? What are you afraid of or uncomfortable trying? And what's stopping you?

10/29/2025

A little humor of the season! If you're in Hall on Halloween night, watch out for the witch handing out candy at my office! She may look frightening, but she's nice! 🧙‍♀️🍬🍫🦋