"The heart is like a garden: it can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?” - Jack Kornfield
I've seen how important it is to have daily access to positive emotions
One way I find someone can do that when they're struggling is to plant out seeds. With a little bit of positive intention - sowing a positive seed (plant it with love, care and kindness) - and daily care, one can see growth in their mindset
It is a way to behaviourally activate and lift mood with meaning and purpose, in such simplicity. There's glimmers of positivity returning as new lives sprout forward, more reason to care, an attitude of kindness towards simple life. To me, a plant's medicine is in the relational encounter with the plants.
To find that caring life connection in the subtlety of growing a simple plant, step wise self-transcendence in caring for a seedling, that awe in watching a seed come to life, achievement in growing and waiting for a seedling to develop into a mature plant, with some plants, success in being able to give food/medicine to others etc.
For example I like sunflowers to cheer up moods. I grew some different hybrids.
I always wanted to be 'one of those' people bright and cheery enough to put massive sunflowers in their front gardens. My mood may be not so great most days but I've achieved something off the bucket list despite that and grew some sunflowers in the front yard
To me, they symbolise the alchemical transformation of darkness, breaking through the husk of darkness into the light, the reclaiming of a less wounded Solar masculine being within myself that is receptive to a concept of Higher Love and adamant to shine through the harsh elements
To take nutrients from the soil, to form roots of community, a stem of healthy self-concept, leaves taking in the light for energy for good and a radiating Divine flower of Love
Being a hybrid reminds me that things through life change but in this life it is our job to have hybrid vigour, to stand tall and shine with the best versions of ourselves, not our lesser selves which should instead decay to give not hate but compassion, we can be in our love: our thoughts, actions, beliefs etc and to give that aspect of ourselves to others
You can save your sunflower memories. I made this simple creation
Positive emotions in mental health
I've seen how important it is to help overcome defeatist thinking, embrace daily gratitude and kindness, learn to accept and appreciate others and to increase the anticipation, recall/savouring of and maintenance of positive emotions to not spiral down to hell realms each day. Making the most of positive moments entails communicating and celebrating positive events with others.
People with poor mental health are less active or less involved in enjoyable and positive activities than non-sufferers often with a contractive negative emotional spin to life. Positive interventions can allow a reduction in depression, apathy, and anhedonia through building positive emotions that allow a broaden-and-build effect [1]
Tending to be trapped in downward emotional spirals with strong anhedonia from most activities I've had to try and find small things in life that build more positive emotional experiences and allow some enhancement of quality of life
One can focus on anticipating the enjoyment; behavioural display (expressing emotions via nonverbal behaviours); being ‘in the moment’ (directing controlled attention toward positive experiences when they occur—savoring); communicating and celebrating positive experiences with others; and recalling previously pleasurable events.
Some 'Positive Spin' activities I find useful:
Feeling heartily connected to others (and dogs): For me, I find THE most potently healing and desirable emotional space is a feeling of Heart-to-Heart connection with someone, that is what I aim for and crave these days, not the lusty physical connections, nor really anything overly intellectual. I just want to feel deeper levels of connection, love, kindness, compassion, gratitude an etc.
Feeling I have done something small to make someone's day better eg plant box, random kindness and gratitude to supports/family etc
Appreciation of Nature and Beauty
Feeling small steps of personal progress/growth - doing something better than I did before. Improving with being less vicey, self-care, growth in the garden, cooking, creativity etc
Novelty: music/new positive emotional experiences/reading/learning new interesting things
コメント