Spirit Sunday

Happy Easter and a Happy {belated} Vernal Equinox to all!

Spring is the season in which life emerges from death - renewed, refreshed, and beautiful. For us too, the journey through life is punctuated with little deaths along the way; and if we choose to accept it and move forward through our own suffering and struggles, we too will emerge renewed, refreshed, beautiful - and transformed.

Depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses thwart this transformation, keeping the individual trapped in a perpetual cycle of suffering. If one can accept and move through her/his disorder, however, she/he too can eventually emerge renewed and transformed.

Of the many tools which can help break the cycle and catalyze transformation, is spirituality. According to Lolak, Minor, Jafari, & Puchalski (2016), spirituality is defined as the "...ways in which individuals seek and express meaning and purpose...and connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred." 

Though spirituality is not the equivalent of religion, most true [i.e., non-wacky packy] religions nurture the spirit and provide individuals with the guidance and opportunity to live a spiritual life. There are myriad other non-religious ways to nurture the Spirit as well: nature, art, good literature, love, contemplation, meditation, etc. All people can experience spirituality.

While current scientific data on the mental health benefits is mixed, there is a growing acceptance among practitioners and patients that prayer, meditation, and spiritual contemplation are a critical component of whole-person treatment, and can be beneficial in improving health and quality of life. (Lolak, Minor, Jafari, & Puchalski, 2016)*

Okay, that said...

Starting next week, each Sunday, I'm going to share some spiritual fuel for mental health. The sole purpose is to offer you more resources for your mental health tool kit. I won't be preaching, and I have no intention of turning this blog into a platform for theological debate. I'm going to do my damnedest to not let my own beliefs skew my posts either, and I'll be posting a variety of faiths and philosophies.

This is one aspect of my own recovery that has been seriously neglected, and I look forward exploring it with you.

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REFERENCES


Andrade, C., & Radhakrishnan, R. (2009). Prayer and healing: A medical and scientific perspective on randomized controlled trials. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 51(4), 247–253. 

Lolak, S., Minor, D. K., Jafari, N., & Puchalski, C. (2016). Complementary and integrative therapies for mental health and aging (C. F. Reynolds, Ed.). Oxford University Press. 

NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness - Faith and Spirituality

Just Do It

Don't have time to blog today. Finals week is coming soon; and well, you know how far behind I am. Wanted to share this quote with you, though. This is my mantra for working on my college degree! {Let me tell you, if when I finally do complete the bloody thing, you will hear the celebration from whatever point you are at on the planet!!}

Inspiration of the Week

Haven't written regularly in awhile - still in a bit of a rut, but working to dig myself out. The quote above is so right - one must do the work before the universe sides with you to achieve your goals. Lord, why is this so hard for me to learn - especially in my personal life!?

Well, this is my mantra of the week. I'm going to see what I can actually accomplish in one week if I truly focus my efforts on the one thing I can control - me, my thoughts, and my actions.

Inspiration

Happy Friday, Freitag, piątek, vendredi, пятница!

BE Happy!

Thought for a snowy Monday...in March

...the world needs YOU!

The Game-Changer

Debating class -
every so briefly!

I struggled a lot yesterday with studying. Every time I sat down to read, I'd find something else "important" to do first - like making labels for file folders, reorganizing my supply drawer, buying a pair of electric blue pumps, and learning how paste is made from a TV documentary.

All was not a total loss, though. I went to my psychology class; and I'm very glad I did. I think it was just the push I needed to move in the right direction again.

What Goethe said rings very true, take that first step toward your goal - it is a game-changer! 

I'm looking forward to a new day, and I hope you are too!

The Small Voice

Somewhere deep down inside I've always known that I was meant to be more than a depressed, anxious, alcoholic. Call it an inner sense of knowing, perhaps - a wordless tugging toward my true self. It may have been buried by years of emotional debris and drowned out by negative thinking set on "repeat", but that voice was there all the while.

What is that small voice - that inner knowing - trying to tell you?

Unleash Your Soul!

This is the theme of the day!

I just awoke from a good night's sleep - full of optimism and grateful to be alive. 

I wish you, dear reader, a wonderful day / night. Let us unleash our souls...and let the games begin!!

Inspiration of the Day: 5 March 2013

Don't have time at the moment for a full blog, but wanted to share some inspiration that will be my focus for today: