Depression Getaway

As a kid I can remember spending a lot of time waiting for my dad to come home from work. I loved my dad and his homecoming was often the highlight of my day. If it was raining while I watched for him through our front window it was a special treat. I would watch the water drops fall down the window pane. Sometimes I would pick two water drops and imagine they were racing and watch expectantly to see which one would finish first! I was really MINDFUL of those raindrops. That is something that keeps children happy, mindfulness. Let me explain.

Last week I gave you my own ’99 Reasons to be Thankful’.

The week before I talked about the ‘The Healing Power of Thanksgiving’.

Now I would like to add a discussion about ‘mindfulness’ to this theme.

What is mindfulness?

One of the easiest to understand descriptions of mindfulness came from this Psychology Today website: “Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.”

Here is another explanation for mindfulness: “We need to live more in the moment. Living in the moment—also called mindfulness—is a state of active, open, intentional attention on the present. When you become mindful, you realize that you are not your thoughts; you become an observer of your thoughts from moment to moment without judging them. Mindfulness involves being with your thoughts as they are, neither grasping at them nor pushing them away. Instead of letting your life go by without living it, you awaken to experience.”

The keywords here are ‘THOUGHTS WITHOUT JUDGEMENT’ for those of us who live with depression. Having thoughts without judgement is a much lighter brighter experience than having thoughts weighed down by judgement. Are you with me so far?

MINDFULNESS could very well be the one strategy that could change everything for all of us! At least it is a practice worth considering. Stick with me, this might take some time. To rush through the topic of mindfulness would not be mindful at all….

This is just a bare bones beginning to the discussion of mindfulness. Why am I combining the benefits of mindfulness with the benefits of thanksgiving? Because just listing the things I am thankful for isn’t as powerful as really being mindful of what I am thankful for.

Stay with me and I will further explain this relationship and how it can benefit you tomorrow.

I am so glad you dropped by today!

Join me again at ‘Depression Getaway’ and together we will…

…live, care, laugh, share, learn, discover, forgive and recover.

Don’t give up, I’m praying for you!

Wendy Love

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