Well, I took this photo with my cell phone, and unfortunately, it's a bit on the blurry side, darn it. I apologize, BUT you can read some of it, and it gives you the idea :)
I wanted to write about affirming through art. Why? When you are working on a drawing, painting, making a collage, etc, all (or most of) your attention is focused on what you are creating, and for this reason art makes an excellent way to manifest what you want to bring into your life.
You attract what you put out. If you want more Positive in your life, focus your thoughts and words on the Positive, and do it while you create, and when your undivided attention is pulled into your work. So...
put your Positive Affirmations into your art!
Remember what I wrote in my first post? I said I wanted to make a painting using the affirmation I created. Well, this is NOT it. I'm still considering the multimedia piece, but I will share it sometime in the future. This is just a drawing that I'm keeping at my cubicle at work as a reminder to practice my affirmations :)
I'm probably the last person that should talk about eating healthier LOL I'm lazy and absolutely despise cooking, so I mostly eat fast food as well as restaurant prepared food. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my veggies, and some fruit, so I do enjoy salads, BUT I get bored with eating the same things over and over again.
Anyhoo, I saw these pics on Pinterest and thought it would be good to share. Hey, if eating these foods will help with depression, it's worth a shot, right? Although you cannot cure depression via nutrition per say, certain foods ARE beneficial in fighting it, and every little bit helps :)
Before I leave off for the night, I want to remind you that your thoughts and words have Power. It is important to stay positive as much as possible. If you happen to catch yourself thinking or saying something negative, immediately rephrase that thought into something positive; this will helps in retraining your mind... something I'm still working on. It doesn't happen overnight, but in time and with practice it WILL happen.
You are rebuilding from a lifetime of old habits; habits that are so ingrained into your mind, that they are automatic. It will take work and time to fix, so have patience with yourself.
Depression is ugly, but you CAN climb out of that dark well of despair. All it takes is determination, opening your mind to the belief that you CAN BEAT IT, and a few other tricks that have worked for me, but let's start with the affirmations.
For today's affirmations, I chose healing, but I want to direct it towards depression. Remember, your mind is powerful; whatever your mind can conceive, it can create.
YOU have the power to create your existence. You have the power to HEAL yourself.
BELIEVE IT
SAY IT
VISUALIZE IT
MEDITATE ON IT
repeatedly daily/weekly/for as long as it takes to sink in!
CHOOSE HAPPINESS (yes you can)
CLAIM IT!
"It is my Divine right to be Happy. I claim Joy now. I OWN it"
"I enjoy Life. Life is good"
"I welcome and freely accept Joy into my life."
That's great for starters, now let's move onto some other things that can be beneficial in fighting depression, like herbs for example. There are many herbs and many, many places you can purchase herbal remedies and teas. My friend Sheila makes a specialty tea called Beat the Blues you can find her contact information here.
Herbal Tinctures! Two of my faves herbs are Motherwort (anxiety, heart palpitations, and stress), and St. John's Wort (depression and anxiety). I prefer liquid form (tincture/tonic) for better results, although quite honestly, they do not taste good LOL. I like to put 30 drops under my tongue for a couple of minutes before swallowing, followed by some of water. My friend Christine makes tinctures, you can find her here.
Aroma therapy: Lavender, Orange, and Geranium are my personal favorites for depression. You can wear Essential Oils on your skin (provided they are mixed with a carrier oil), in your hair, wear an aromatic pendant or vial necklace, in your bath water, or in a squirt bottle mixed with water to mist your surroundings, make a potpourri satchel for your vehicle or desk, or you can use scented candles.
Stones and Crystals for depression include Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Smoky Quartz, and my fave Labradorite. You can use these in a variety of ways: wear the stone(s) close to your skin (I prefer over the heart), make stone/crystal elixirs to drink, use them in your bath water, hold them during mediation. If you choose to use stones or crystals, make sure you cleanse them often, as they absorb negativity that needs to be cleansed, or it won't do you any good. I recommend you research stones and crystals before ingesting an elixir or using them in your bath water because some stones may dissolve and some may contain minerals, etc that may be harmful if ingested. Take advantage of the internet, it is a wondrous tool :)
Get out of the house! Go window shopping, take a walk, go to the park, see a movie, have a pic nic, ANYTHING but get out of the house! Moping around cooped up in your house is the worse thing you can do. Outdoors in the sun is best; sunlight has been proven to be beneficial to depression sufferers.
Rock out! Turn up the tunes and dance as you do your chores, or just dance :)
Volunteer! Helping others, helps you :)
I will most likely repeat many of these items in future posts, in more detail, but this gives you some ideas to get you started, and remember....
Through my recent efforts to kick my current depression, including delving into the cause of my current ailments (the recent loss of my Mom and my corresponding health issues), I was hit upside the head with a couple of things: (1) a sudden burst of creativity, and (2) inspiration to begin a new blog.
Although my creativity has not found its outlet just yet (still pondering what to paint), it has spawned a title for my blog, which I love! Positive Warfare, is just as the description explains, about fighting the negativity of depression, anxiety... and fear, etc with positive thoughts. This blog will include affirmations, and tools such as media, meditation, stones & crystals, herbs, etc. Who knows, maybe it will be beneficial for others out there, as well as myself :)
I'd like to share a few of my recent tool usages to kick this blog off....
My ipod Meditation
I love this album! It not only helps me to relax and fall asleep at night but it also includes brainwave therapy and an hour of positive affirmation that continue to work even while you are sleeping. I listed the itunes link as well as a youtube video version. Enjoy!
This book is fabulous! I actually have the entire gift set (3 books) and love them all, but this book in particular contains in Chapter 15, a list of physical problems, their mental cause, and a corresponding affirmation to focus on. I highly recommend this book, and if you can, get the 3 book set. For example, one of my problems right now is the onset of a new back issue: Sacrum Pain; it is crippling and severely painful when it flares up. This began gradually during my Mom's last hospital stay, and intensified after her death. I connected the dots right a way... this physical ailment is connected to losing Mom. So I looked up the following:
Lower Back
The probable cause is fear, money, and lack of financial support.
The affirmation:
"I trust the process of life. All I need is always taken care of. I am safe."
Hip.
The Sacrum is also connected to the hips and it is actually part of the pain.
The probable cause is fear of moving forward.
The affirmation:
"I am in perfect balance. I move forward in life with ease and with joy at every age."
My Current Affirmation
My main focus right now, is kicking my current depression related to losing Mom and the resulting frustration linked to the onset of the Sacrum issue. So I created my own affirmation to battle this depression:
I release the need to dwell in sorrow.
Each moment is an opportunity for Joy.
I choose Happiness.
This is where that flare of creativity popped in; I want to create a painting featuring this affirmation. I just haven't figured out exactly what I want to paint yet... obviously something simple yet cheerful and something that coordinates with my house, so earthy (greens and browns). I usually work in watercolor, but I'm thinking maybe something multimedia, incorporating acrylics and hodgepodge, but I've never done such a thing before... so.... still thinking LOL
