Written by Penny McFarlane, Author & Holistic Therapist
Penny McFarlane is an ex-teacher, author, children’s therapist and holistic complementary medicine practitioner. With an MA in Professional Writing, a post grad diploma in Dramatherapy and registered qualifications in Yoga, Kinesiology, Reflexology and Reiki, she combines, through her books, the two things she loves best are writing and healing.
Six signposts to avoiding depression and making the most of your life so far. In the old Celtic calendar, the beginning of August, or the festival of Lammas as it was known, signalled the start of autumn. Not a particularly attractive thought, since we may be forgiven for thinking that summer has only just started! However, by the second week in August, we often experience cooler winds, and with the over-ripening fruit and persistent flies and midges, there is a sense of decay in the air. It’s easy to become despondent with the feeling that it’s all over; it’s all downhill into winter from now on.
Aligning ourselves with the energy of the season and harvesting from the abundance that it offers can help mitigate this feeling of hopelessness. After all, as Viktor Fankl taught the inmates of a concentration camp during the Holocaust, you cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you. And it can’t get much worse than Auschwitz! (Frankl, V. E. 2008).
So, what can we do about this slide into winter and possible depression?
How can we empower ourselves to avoid this decline?
1. Learn the power of acceptance
Learning to accept that change in our lives, as in Nature, is inevitable is easier said than done. It’s normal to rail against the passing of time, to regret mistakes made or resent the loss of opportunity. But where does that get us? It doesn’t change the situation; it only makes the bearing of it more difficult.
Taking slow, small steps away from the frenzy of everyday life, being in the moment, and savouring the changes in the natural world around us can help us accept what is: the status quo of existence.
Go out into nature, face southwest, and feel the change in energy as the earth begins its slow cycle back into the point of inner stillness at the winter solstice. Reflect on any regrets or hopes you may have for this next phase of your life.
2. Use the power of gratitude
Donna Eden writes that ‘Gratitude is among the most profound of spiritual healers’ (Eden 1999) and research has shown that the life expectancy rate of cancer patients is significantly higher in those who have a positive, optimistic outlook on life. Making a practice of focusing for a few minutes every day on feelings of gratitude can help foster this attitude.
Begin by writing down everything you have to be thankful for. Include everything, even the smallest things such as your sense of sight, hearing, taste, etc. Let your mind run freely at first and write without reading it over for about ten minutes.
Then allow yourself to read over what you have written and begin to categorise it under headings, for example family, work, health, friends or make up your own headings.
This will hopefully start you thinking about the myriad events, situations, or circumstances which occur every day and which are, in some way, a blessing.
3. Acknowledge the power of skills and accomplishments
We are inclined to be impressed only by those skills and accomplishments which appear to have a high profile in the world, for example, those of managers, teachers, doctors, and lawyers. We forget that, in some way, we all make a contribution to society.
The above exercise may make it easier for you to acknowledge your skills and accomplishments:
Make a list of everything you have achieved in your life and, if appropriate, next to it, write the skill you needed to accomplish it. For example, ‘brought up children which needed skills of organisation, negotiation, listening, understanding, not to mention patience!’ Include everything, no matter how trivial it may seem. Can you cook? Then you have the skills of literacy to read a recipe and time management to produce it. Have you held a marriage together or been a good friend? What skills did these accomplishments need?
4. Recognise the power of ‘giving back’
August is a month for gathering in every sense of the word: corn is being gathered from the fields and internally it is time for us to gather our thoughts. A good practice is to think about what we demand or take from life and what we give back in return. Something has to die in order for us to eat even if we are vegetarian. It is the way of life and cannot be avoided but we can acknowledge this and be thankful for everything or everyone who supports and nourishes us.
Reflect on who has supported you recently in whatever way. Have you always shown your appreciation? Is it too late to show it now? Even if it feels too late to you, imagine how you might feel if you received a card which said something along the lines of ‘I know it’s a bit late, but I never really said how much I appreciated... ’. My guess is it might make your day!
Even if you have lost contact with the person concerned or they have perhaps died, you can still write a letter of thanks and either burn it or put it in a safe place. According to some esoteric thinking, gratitude in whatever form sets up a chain of good karma and you may be pleasantly surprised by the results
In keeping with the idea of ‘giving back’ look out for any litter on your walks and make a point of transferring at least one piece to the garbage can.
5. Delight in the power of ‘paying it forward’
An interesting and quirky idea, evolving from the chain of good karma thinking, is to practice ARK: Acts of Random Kindness. Someone I know leaves small posies of flowers on the windscreens of cars in her neighbourhood from time to time. If you are feeling down it is surprising how much a warm, unexpected smile from a passing car driver can lift you, especially if they are letting you into their stream of traffic! Rather than ‘paying back’ which involves the sense of getting even, ‘paying forward’ with an act of random kindness can bring as much pleasure to the giver as to the receiver.
6. Nourish your own sensual power
Lammas is a time of surplus, the seasonal peak when all nature is at its ripest. There is a sense that nothing can get fuller, bigger, or better, and a feeling of contentment pervades. Now is not the time to make new plans but to preserve and savour your energy. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the organs connected to this time of year are the stomach and the spleen. While the spleen’s job is to provide the body with a peaceful defence mechanism and is the provider of energetic nourishment, so the stomach distributes physical nourishment in the form of food. Both the spleen and stomach are, therefore, representative of this mothering nurturing quality. In keeping with the energy of this season of indulgence, celebrate your sensual nature by treating yourself to a luxurious bath with aromatherapy oils and scented candles. Finish off the evening with a favourite sloppy film and a box of chocolates.
You’ve come so far. You deserve it!
Read more from Penny McFarlane
Penny McFarlane, Author & Holistic Therapist
Penny McFarlane is an ex-teacher, author, children’s therapist and holistic complementary medicine practitioner. With an MA in Professional Writing, a post grad diploma in Dramatherapy and registered qualifications in Yoga, Kinesiology, Reflexology and Reiki, she combines, through her books, the two things she loves best are writing and healing. A lifetime’s interest in the mystical and magical has led her to exploring potential: what we were, what we are and what we are capable of being. Her books reflect her mission: to reconnect people to their innermost selves; to finding peace and potential to dance on the softened edges of life.
References:
Eden, D. Energy Medicine. How to use your body’s energies for optimum health and vitality. London: Judy Piaktus Ltd.1999.
Frankl, V. E Man’s Search for Meaning. The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust. Rider, Ebury Publishing. Random House Group. 2008
If you would like to know more about how to live more naturally in sync with your own rhythms and those of nature, take a peek at my book Writing in Rhythm
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