Mind you Mind—Gratitude is a Pretty Good Antidepressant

We live in a tough world. Lots of noise and vitriol. Lots of negativity and meanness floating around--like knives. Sometimes it makes it hard to think straight; sometimes it makes us doubt what we actually know and/or believe. All this noise can interfere with our ability to critically think, or even think at all. It can be depressing and overwhelming. And if there is already a propensity for depression, believe me, this world—and all the stirring-up that happens on a daily basis—does not help. You know what does?

Gratitude.

I know it sounds counterintuitive to be grateful when the walls are crashing in. But, trust me, intentionally focusing on the goodness in our lives can lift us—even if it’s just an inch—from the mire of gloom. Do you have friends? Food? Warmth? Eyesight? Ability to walk? Do you have fresh drinking water? Someone to care about? Do you have your health—no? Do you have the ability to improve it? Access to care? Do you have a soft place to hurt? Someone who weeps for you?

There is always something to be thankful for. Find it. Focus on it. It’s better for you than you can imagine, and an excellent way to mind your mind.

Mind Your Mind--Explore Your Lore.

The thing about history is that it is often disregarded, unexplored, or never known to appreciate. Or even worse, never recorded. History has gotten a bad rap of late. Many who don't like the past, would erase it if they could. I think that's a shame. No person, organization or country evolves without making plenty of mistakes, having plenty of crap experiences. The best of these make course corrections, set new goals, forge new paths. In short they learn from their history and use that knowledge to become better--a better partner or parent, a better company, a better country. The worst seem to get lost in perpetuating and defending what they're mad about. That, my friends, is no way to mind your mind. And it makes you tired. And everyone around you tired.

This is me and the hubs standing in front of 'Newspaper Rock' or 'Tse Hane' (Rock that tells a story). It's a petroglyph etched in sandstone that records approximately 2000 years of early human activity. It's thought that different groups of travelers traveled past this rock and chiseled down a few random thoughts. Unfortunately, no one knows what this rock says. The symbols could represent doodles, warnings, storytelling, or maybe it's a giant help-wanted rock. Nobody knows. And that, too, is a shame because I am absolutely certain there are lessons to be learned on that rock. Don't be this rock. Write your history--the good, the bad, the dumb, the triumphant. Then leave evidence that you learned from it. Yeah, do that.

Mind your Mind--Volunteering is Good for Your Mental Health. No, Really!

So, I live in Utah which is the home of Silicon Slopes--the hub of Utah's startup and tech community.(according to their website) This week, in conjunction with their SlopesSummit21, they offered a volunteer opportunity: 1 Million Meals for Utah. I took part, along with hundreds and hundreds of others. It was awesome. I felt awesome. It was an awesome cause. And I met awesome people. Now, the thing I know about volunteering is it gets you out of your own head. That's why it's one of the best recommendations for people suffering with depression. In fact, I've known therapists that make it part of their treatment plan. Depression can be draining, heavy, consuming and painful. If you have a chance to leave it behind for an hour and meet the need of another person (or hungry child) you definitely should. It can be a win-win.

#siliconslopes21 #mental health #volunteering