Depression and Anxiety
It’s been a long two plus years for us since Coronavirus hit Mother Earth. It feels like a lost ship drifting at sea, going wherever the currents take it, with no sense of direction and not knowing where or when it will hit land. People are longing for that human connection with friends and loved ones that has been so absent for too long. Most of us are social beings that have found it very hard to fill this hole that has been dominating our lives. I call it somewhere between blah and depression, or you may have anxiety and depression. How about finding some joy for a change?
There was a recent article in the New York Times written by Adam Grant, a psychologist, calling what people have been feeling during this outbreak “languishing.” It is an excellent article, easily found on Google. I strongly recommend reading it.
Worsley Five Element Acupuncture very much treats the spirit and emotions. I have never treated so many people for anxiety and depression in my entire 30 years in practice as I have in this past year. Listed below are some suggestions I’d like to share that I find very useful in boosting my own joy and aliveness.
1. Every night before you go to sleep, write down at least five things you are thankful, grateful for that day.
2. Start each day with a declaration of a new possibility for your life that day, what’s possible for you to create.
3. Find a craft, game or mental exercise you enjoy that you can do by yourself for some time each day to help you focus your mind and thoughts.
4. Forget the past and stop worrying about the future and live in the now.
5. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
6. Accept everyone and everything as it is, not as you would have it be. Suffering comes from denying”what is.”
7. When you can, give first whatever you want or need.
8. Refrain from judgment of others.
9. Be defenseless. Give up having to be “right.”
10. Let go of attachments to expected outcomes from situations and circumstances.
11. Practice forgiveness.
12. Look at life’s circumstances as your teach. What can you learn from them for your own growth and development?
13. Take breaks from the news.