Depression often means our mind feels like a landfill site. Picture that. Mine does. I regularly crumble under the weight of my landfill mind and so I decided to zip on a white forensic boiler suit and try a little eco-mind. Recycle some rubble. And create a conveyor belt of sorting.

Meditation is not coming easily to me but I have seen significant benefits in a very short time and so I am committed to daily practice of 15 minutes. Andy Puddicombe talks into my ear every morning when I wake up and I really thank his wife for lending him to me.

It doesn't really matter how you take mediation. Yes, ideally you would sit in silence and run through a guided or unguided focus of anything from ten minutes upwards. But if you feel at this point in your mental battle it is either too daunting or just not for you, you can look for it in other ways. It can be a daily walk, a daily read, a daily dance, a daily good deed, a daily look at the horizon, a daily logging of landmarks or pavement marks on the daily commute, daily nutrition, a daily bath, a daily write, a daily friend, a daily smoke, a daily whisky, a daily game, a daily nap, a daily gym, a daily dessert. I have now said the word 'daily' so much it sounds weird... I used to love doing that as a kid!!! Daily, daily, daily, daily!!

Karen wrote a brilliant blog on alcohol back on the 9th of August and Norman's comment struck me. He was describing how he found, at that moment, the pub was bringing him some solace in a tricky time but that he knew it might not be good for his depression. My view is that whilst I needed to address my drinking because it was making me ill, it is ok not to live like a monk or a nun. If you give something your full passion, daily, it will bring you joy. If you enjoy a daily drink or a daily feeding of the birds and it brings you passion, peace and happiness... ENJOY IT! It is only if it is bringing you, or others, down that it needs to go.

The key word is DAILY. Whatever we commit to daily will bring us success. And be aware that if you commit to daily self-loathing or daily self-praise, you will succeed. Daily.

Love from

The room above the garage

A Moodscope member.