If asked to describe depression in one word it would be debilitating. It’s not a friendly visitor: stays too long, takes away your desire to smile, and only complains and belittles. When I struggled through depression in past seasons of my life, the part I despised the most was the vicious thought circles of doubt and anxiousness that left me feeling helpless.
There are many forms of depression, from postpartum depression to depression in bipolar disorder. Hundreds of millions of people world-wide suffer from some form of depression. Not all have a diagnosis and some aren’t sad ‘enough’ to have one. There are others who are simply unhappy, anxious, or stressed. They might not be depressed, but they feel life is draining and difficult.
If you are like me, you desire your life to be peaceful and joyful…who doesn’t? However as John Eldredge says in his podcast, “this is a brutal time to be a human being.”* Our bodies are feeling this: minds anxious, bodies tense, and emotions frayed. To cope with our harsh world, we have become excellent problem solvers. Tackling the day as if it were an opponent on the football field, we start our day with our “To-Do List” in one hand and cell phone in the other (with caffeine nearby). The pace at which we move, problem solve, and schedule our days could be described as either exhilarating or insane.
Do you think our pace might be triggering depression?
What if we could step aside from the hustle and problem solving? What if we stop fighting all the mini fires and answering the hundred of e-mails? What if we let the world be as it is for a moment while you check in with how you are doing?
I believe much of our push for more wealth, education, answers, and adventure is draining the joy we could currently possess. The strain is wearing on our souls. This wearing is showing itself in depression, anxiety, and stress.**
There is an alternative way of living. The hard circumstance and hurried pace might remain the same, however, you could live life with a different approach than a linebacker and problem solver.
When Mindfulness, the book inspiring this blog series, said that their Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was designed to help people who had suffered from depression overcome their illness, the idea impressed me. Since I have had several severe bouts of depression, I have heard words like “cope” and “care.” Those words aren’t bad, but I prefer powerful word like overcome. MBCT has “been clinically proven to halve the risk of depression in those who have suffered the most debilitating forms of the illness.” It’s shown to be as effective as antidepressants! In this case, however, you don’t have to pay at the pharmacy or experience side-effects.
The last two posts have introduced the idea of Mindfulness and (though I haven’t used the term until now) Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. (In the last post, I’ve also recorded my first steps on practicing mindfulness cognitive therapy). Mindfulness teaches the mind has two methods of operating and both are useful and needed. Our mind has the problem solving mode they call the “doing mode” and the sensing mode called the “being mode.” Our minds can think (doing mode) but they also know they are thinking (being mode). As we talked about in week two of this series, problems arise when you spend all your moments in doing mode: problem solving and working habitually. If you don’t stop to ‘watch your thoughts’ and experience your surroundings through your senses, you are missing the world as you were designed to experience it.
Each week in this series I promised to highlight three quotes from Mindfulness with a reflection and then a quick summary of what I am thinking, feeling, and discovering in regards to mindfulness meditation.
Quotes from Mindfulness:
- “The body is acutely sensitive to even the tiniest flickering of emotion that moves constantly across the mind. The body often detects our thoughts almost before we’ve consciously registered them ourselves and frequently reacts as if they are solid and real, whether they accurately reflect the world or not.” Page 91
Have you ever felt your neck feel tight after a stressful conversation? How about a sick feeling in the stomach area after a bad memory? Your body reacts to your thoughts almost instantly. We can use these “cues” to remind ourselves to notice what we are thinking.
- “We can easily spend so much time “in our head” that we almost forget we have a body at all. We can spend ages planning, remembering, analyzing, judging, brooding, and comparing. None of these things are “wrong” in itself, but they can easily end up undermining our physical and mental well-being. We forget about our bodies and their influence on how we think, feel and behave….” Page 93
This week’s meditation was to spend time becoming aware of our body by doing what they called “a body scan.” I thought of it like a body roll call. “Feet are you here? How’s it going?” They ‘respond’ with whatever sense you feel from your feet. Then you move to your ankles, lower leg, knees, and so on. It might feel strange at first, but the practice can reveal how much we ignore our bodies. This act of listening to the body can be restorative and healing.
3.“Can you pause for a moment when pleasant moments occur? Help yourself pause by noticing:
What body sensations do you feel at these moments?
What thoughts are around?
What feelings are here?” Page 108-109
This is a helpful exercise to point out to yourself how you experience delightful moments in your day!
I encourage you to try one of these exercises! Take a body roll call after you climb into bed for the night. Or, pause after a little chuckle and ask yourself, “what am I feeling?” Practice listening to your body this week by taking moments to sense how your body is feeling.
What I am thinking:
- I experienced more boredom this week during meditation and I think it’s because I had such a full week. The slowing down and stillness made me antsy.
- I used to think mediation was for very spiritual people and those with special talent. My current belief is that anyone can meditate- it’s not difficult but does take practice. Though it is at times a spiritual act for me, it doesn’t have to be.
- This practice could not come at a better time. With our state slowly lifting COVID -19 restrictions, I want to be purposeful in how I relate to others and how I refine my schedule.
What I am feeling:
- I was surprised when I completed the body scan meditation in the evenings how tired and sore my limbs felt. I wondered if they always felt that way in the evening and I ignored it, or if it was weariness from several shorter nights of sleep.
- I felt a little guilty for how I have ignored my body in the past. How very strange we can ignore our own bodies!
What I am discovering:
- Intrigued by the idea that our body can reveal what our mind is feeling, I want to notice this cycle of mind affecting the body and body affecting the mind.
- I like to think of mindfulness in single word sentences. Pause. Breath. Be. Listen. Observe.
May you have mindful moments this week.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
-Kassie Joy
This week’s set of images were chosen for one thing, those clouds. I sat and thought, “How can so many shades of blue show up in one sky?” The clouds and chilly winds came in quickly over the Plains, bringing these beautiful clouds with them. Being able to see the light coming through always makes me think of Jesus, and little blessings shining through the sky letting us know it is all going to be alright. -Mandy June Photography
*John Eldredge’s podcast is called “Conversations with John Eldredge and the team at Ransomed Heart.” I heard him say the words quoted above on the March 1 podcast titled “Expecting the Wonderful.”
**I don’t mean to imply that our fast paced lifestyles are the only cause of depression. My goodness! Our bodies are more complicated and creative than to blame depression solely on outside circumstance. I do think that culture and lifestyle play an important role in our mental wellbeing.
