Thankfulness + Mindfulness = Dynamic Duo for Depression: Part Two

We are talking about MINDFULNESS this week and how to relate it to THANKFULNESS. 

For review purposes, think of mindfulness as a way of living in the present, making observations about something immediately in front of you, without judgement.

For instance, concentrate on this beautiful photo of a bee doing what comes naturally. Take your time. Hard to think depressed thoughts when you concentrate on something so special, so natural.

And, why bother doing that? Because there are benefits for everyone, benefits that we who are challenged by depression could use.

Here are some of the benefits of mindfulness:  "Mindfulness 

reduces stress,

 boosts immune functioning,

 reduces chronic pain, 

lowers blood pressure, and 

helps patients cope with cancer. 

By alleviating stress, spending a few minutes a day actively focusing on living in the moment reduces the risk of heart disease. Mindfulness may even slow the progression of HIV."


If it does all that then it might help with depression right? Wow, gotta get me some of that!

Would you like an example of a way to practice mindfulness? 

Here is a good mindfulness exercise to try:

 • Focus on the soles of your feet. Here's a good trick to return to mindfulness if you feel angry or aggressive. Shift all your attention to the soles of your feet. Move your toes slowly, feel the weave of your socks and the curve of your arch. Breathe naturally and focus on the soles of your feet until you feel calm. Practice this exercise until you can use it wherever you are and whenever you find yourself feeling verbally or physically aggressive.

I am just barely touching on this idea of MINDFULNESS. It is such a big topic and I am not an expert, I have only just discovered it myself. But it is a strategy worth looking into and I hope you will do just that.

I want to apply some mindfulness strategies to each of my 99 reasons to be thankful. I think the thankfulness would have greater impact if I actually thought about each one for awhile instead of just making a list. Now the making of a list is effective too. Hopefully just seeing your list could be a temporary depression getaway. It might make you think 'wow, if I can find all of those reasons to be thankful then maybe my life is not such a failure after all!'

Tomorrow I am going to show you how to combine the MINDFULNESS we have been talking about this week, with the THANKFULNESS we have discussed last week. You won't want to miss reading about this important connection.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Are you already naturally mindful? Do you think anyone is naturally mindful? Can you see how this might be a good practise for someone who has trouble making themselves think about true stuff, positive thoughts?

Don't give up! There is hope for depression.