Feeling Your Emotions- Peace

This is the next instalment in Feeling Your Emotions series. I started it back in 2017. The intention was to look at different emotions (such as anger, sadness and depression, fear and anxiety, peace and love) and get in touch with them, to help heal and move forward. You can read the introduction here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/11/feeling-your-emotions-introduction.html

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

I wrote a recap of all the posts so far in 2022: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2022/09/feeling-your-emotions-recap.html

It's now been over 2 years since I wrote that. (And 8 years ago this month since I started the whole series!) After the recap post I planned to write more in the next few months, but didn't in the end. I've been feeling very up and down and struggling at times, and haven't felt very inspired to blog much here in general. (I've been more active on my entertainment blog Star Sparkle Blog and my seasonal living blog The Seasonal Life because I don't write about as "deep" subjects on there.) However, in recent months I've felt like picking the FYE series up again. 

As I mentioned in the recap, I started with the so-called "negative" emotions, intending to work my way up to more "positive" ones. I had planned to cover love or peace next but didn't feel in a space to write about them. When I'd written the last post, I intended that the next one in the series would be peace. So here it is, although later than planned! :)

Feeling Powerless

For the past few years I've written a series of posts called Feeling Your Emotions, which explores different emotions and how we can work with them to feel better. You can see all the posts to date at the link below (or under the label "Feeling Your Emotions" when viewing the post):

Feeling Your Emotions Recap: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2022/09/feeling-your-emotions-recap.html

 

I've also written several "stand-alone" posts looking at other feeling states, such as feeling like a "loser", feeling lonely etc. I decided to have them as separate posts because they aren't core/basic emotions. I also recently wrote a post about feeling stuck.

For this post I thought I would take a look at feeling powerless and what we can do to move past that state, and feel better.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

What does it mean to feel powerless?

The definition of powerless (or powerlessness) includes "without power or authority" (Collins Dictionary), "the condition or feeling of having no power (Cambridge Dictionary) or "devoid of strength or resources" and "lacking the authority or capacity to act" (Merriam Webster).

 

Finding a Way Forward

I haven't posted much on the blog so far this year. As I said in my mid-year reflections post, I found the first half of 2023 quite difficult. While I've still been blogging on my entertainment blog Star Sparkle Blog and seasonal living one The Seasonal Life, I've not had much motivation to post on here. I cover "deeper" topics such as self-help, spiritual methods and mental health, and just didn't feel like I had the energy to write much about them.

But I would like to get back into blogging more here, so today I'm writing about finding a way forward when you've been feeling stuck or lost in life. 

Two years ago I wrote a couple of posts about moving upwards and feeling better when you've been in a low place. You can see them here:

Starting from the Bottom- Part 1: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/04/starting-from-bottom-part-1.html

Starting from the Bottom- Part 2: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/08/starting-from-bottom-part-2.html

And last year I wrote another post about feeling better when you've been down for a long time: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2022/02/when-youve-been-down-for-too-long.html

I've spoken (or written!) before about having depression and anxiety. So if I'm really struggling it can be hard to see a way forward. Especially if I feel stuck in certain patterns.

Feeling Your Emotions Recap

Back in 2017 I started a series called Feeling Your Emotions. The intention was to look at different emotions (such as anger, sadness, fear, peace and love) and get in touch with them, to help heal and move forward. You can read the introduction here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/11/feeling-your-emotions-introduction.html

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

I  haven't done any new posts in the series for over 2 years (2 and a half years this month actually), so I felt like now was a good time to do a recap. I started with the so-called "negative" emotions, intending to work my way up to more "positive" ones. However, I didn't end up covering love or peace (which I intended to do next), since I just didn't feel in a space to write about them, especially with the events of the past two years.

I'm going to revisit the previous posts, plus take another look at emotions in general and then decide where to take FYE next.

When You've Been Down for Too Long

 

In the past I've written about feeling down and struggling, and also trying to improve your life. If you're trying to turn things around but dealing with long term mental health issues, had a lot of setbacks and/or just feeling consistently stuck, it can be really hard to move forward. Last year I wrote two blog posts about moving upwards when you've been in a low place. You can see them both here: 

Starting From the Bottom- Part 1: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/04/starting-from-bottom-part-1.html

Starting From the Bottom- Part 2: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/08/starting-from-bottom-part-2.html 

 

For a little while now I've had the idea for a post about feeling like you've been down for a long time. So that's what I'm writing about today. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

In the self-help world (and in general) there is a lot of focus on feeling better and improving your life but what if your life has felt bad (or at least not good) for a long time? What if you've been stuck in a cycle of depression, anxiety and things just not feeling "right" for years? 

Please note: If you are having mental health issues, please seek the advice of a doctor/mental health professional. I am not qualified to help, just someone who experiences mental health issues myself. :)

 

Important: If you are feeling suicidal here are a few links to where you can find people qualified to help you right now:

http://lostallhope.com/help-me

 

Starting From the Bottom- Part 1

2020 was a difficult year for most of us, due to the coronavirus and worldwide lockdowns, and racial unrest (which highlighted how far we have to go to achieve equality. Many people have understandably been feeling low and/or anxious, and mental health conditions have been on the rise.

I wanted to write a post about the subject of moving up from a low place to feeling better, and also improving your life. I've been really struggling with both these things lately, and I expect quite a few others have too.

It's taken me a while to write this post, I haven't felt much like writing "in-depth" posts lately. I've decided to split this up into two parts, so Part 1 will cover feeling better and Part 2 will focus more on changing your mindset and actively working on changing your life. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

There have been more people diagnosed with depression, anxiety, OCD and other disorders. For those of us with pre-existing mental health issues, it has been tough too. I went through a bad depressed period in autumn 2019 (before the virus/lockdowns). It did improve but I found myself feeling more depressed during the first lockdown in the spring and summer of 2020. When we came out of (the first) lockdown the anxiety seemed to get worse. Throughout the rest of last year, I was feeling very anxious and the health anxiety in particular worsened. 

Feeling Low

With all that's been going in these past few months (the coronavirus and lockdown/quarantine, and then the murder of George Floyd and all the racial tension and unrest), I've been feeling quite low lately. I'd imagine that many people are feeling the same, so I thought I'd write a post about feeling low and how we can start to pick ourselves back up.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

I have written before about having depression and anxiety, and last autumn I went through a period where I was struggling. I did start to feel a bit better but then the end of the year was quite hard for me personally, and then of course in early 2020 the coronavirus spread and lockdown happened. I wasn't able to get to places and do things that I usually did, since everything shut down and we were all told to stay home. And then with recent events I've been feeling more unsettled. I wrote about my thoughts on the year so far in my Mid-2020 Reflections post. You can read that here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/06/mid-2020-reflections.html

Feeling Lonely

If you follow the blog then you'll know that I've been doing a series called Feeling Your Emotions. You can read the intro post here (and find all the posts under the label "FYE"): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/11/feeling-your-emotions-introduction.html

One emotion I haven't covered is loneliness. Since  I'm "moving up" through the scale of the so-called more positive emotions, I decided to do a stand alone post on loneliness. Hopefully it will be useful, especially during this time when we are advised to self- isolate and social distance due to the coronavirus. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)


What is loneliness and what does it mean to feel lonely?

Loneliness is described as an "unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation and also "social pain" (Wikipedia) ,and a "distressing experience that occurs when a person's relationships are perceived by themselves to be less in quantity or quality" (Encyclopaedia Britannica). So it's a strong feeling that is thought of as negative. I would also describe it as an "empty" feeling.

Manifesting and Mental Health- Part 2

Note: This is a post about the Law of Attraction (LOA). For a background on LOA click here. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

In August I wrote about manifesting and mental health. I decided to break it up into a couple of parts because there was quite a lot to cover. You can read Part 1 here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/08/manifesting-and-mental-health-part-1.html

In Part 2 I'm going to look more at manifesting while dealing with mental health issues. Sorry it's taken me a while, just not had much inspiration lately. :)

Since writing the first post I went through a bit of a hard time. I wrote a bit about it in this post called When You're Struggling: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/10/when-youre-struggling.html

I felt like I'd fallen down a pit. I am feeling a bit better now, but up and down. Part of it is shifting into autumn and the cold season. Since I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), I do find the colder months more depressing. I wrote a little bit about it over on my other blog The Seasonal Life.

So when people are always telling you to "be happy now" it can get you down. I've found this post by Kelsey Aida about why you don't have to feel good all the time to manifest helpful: https://kelseyaida.com/theinspirationalblog/why-you-dont-have-to-feel-good-all-the-time-to-manifest

The main thing I've found with manifesting while dealing with mental health challenges is that you're already feeling quite down and you're struggling (at times it feels to me like "wading through sludge"), so when it comes to staying optimistic and "raising your vibration" it can be hard. Also those of us with mental health conditions should be careful because we don't want to end up making ourselves feel worse. I came across a post about how the idea of manifesting can be bad for mental health. You can read that here: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zmapne/the-idea-of-manifesting-your-future-may-be-bad-for-mental-health

When You're Struggling

 

I'm currently working on a couple of other posts but since I've been going through a bit of a hard time lately, I thought I'd start with one on the subject of feeling better when you're struggling.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

I've been up and down this year, but been feeling quite depressed for much of the time. I have depression and anxiety and have times when one or the other is worse. In late summer my boy cat died which made things worse. I'd lost his sister two years before. :( I also become a bit more depressed transitioning into autumn, because I'm a summer person and have a bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the winter.

Since last year I've been attending courses and classes at my local mental health resource centre and it does help. I also look for ways to manage the depression and anxiety. But sometimes I feel at a low ebb and struggle to see the point in anything. If you're feeling the same, I hope that some resources I share here can help you. :)

 

Update 14/10/22: I have removed some links that no longer work to tidy this post up a bit and intend to add more in the future. :)


Important: If you are feeling suicidal here are some links to where you can find people qualified to help you right now:

http://lostallhope.com/help-me


UK/UK and Ireland specific:

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us

NHS links (UK based): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/ 

Childline (for children and young people): https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/mental-health/suicide/


Australia and New Zealand: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/emergency-help/  

 
US and UK: https://psychcentral.com/lib/common-hotline-phone-numbers


International:

https://ibpf.org/resource/list-of-international-suicide-hotlines/

 
https://www.befrienders.org/other-helpline-organisations

https://www.nowmattersnow.org/help-line

https://metanoia.org/suicide/


Update 4/11/19: Here's another helpful link: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/are-you-feeling-suicidal.htm

Manifesting and Mental Health- Part 1

Note: This is a post about the Law of Attraction (LOA). For a background on LOA click here. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

In my LOA Round-up post I mentioned how I was planning to write about manifesting and mental health. You can read that post here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/04/loa-round-up.html

So here is Part 1. I've decided to do it in a couple of parts because I feel like I can't cover everything in one post. :)

You'll often come across Law of Attraction articles, books and videos giving you a specific formula to follow and stories of the wonderful transformations that people have made. The problem is that a certain formula or way of doing things isn't going to work for everyone, because we're all different. We all have different life circumstances. I know you're supposed to be able to overcome all that by "raising your vibration" aka feeling better and changing your energy and beliefs, but what if it's not that simple? Sometimes you can try all these techniques but you just appear to be really STUCK. And what if you are going through a hard time and/or have a mental illness?

Feeling Your Emotions- Sadness and Depression (Part 2)

This is the latest post in my Feeling Your Emotions series. So far I've looked at Anger and Sadness and Depression. You can read the Introduction post here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/11/feeling-your-emotions-introduction.html

I split Sadness and Depression into two parts. Last month I did the first part which you'll find at this link: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2018/07/feeling-your-emotions-sadness-and.html

Now here is Part 2. :)

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

Last time I looked at sadness and depression in general. In this post I'm going to be focusing on feeling better and healing. As I mentioned in Part 1, the focus is on healing depression, since sadness is a natural state that we all feel at some point. But I'm also talking about feeling better in general as well.


Self harm and suicide

Note: I'm discussing quite sensitive subjects, so please read with caution if you feel you may be triggered. :)

Important: If you are feeling suicidal here are some links to where you can find people qualified to help you right now:

http://lostallhope.com/help-me


UK/UK and Ireland specific:

Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us

NHS links (UK based): https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/ 

Childline (for children and young people): https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/mental-health/suicide/


Australia and New Zealand: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/getting-help/emergency

US and UK: https://psychcentral.com/lib/telephone-hotlines-and-help-lines/


International:

https://ibpf.org/resource/list-of-international-suicide-hotlines/

https://www.befrienders.org/other-helpline-organisations

https://www.nowmattersnow.org/help-line

https://metanoia.org/suicide/

Update 12/9/22: I was getting an antivirus warning for the Metanoia link above and the page wasn't  loading (the Suicide link specifically).But it seems to be ok again now.

Feeling Your Emotions- Sadness and Depression (Part 1)

This is the next post in my Feeling Your Emotions series. It follows on from Anger- Part 1 and Anger- Part 2. You can read the Introduction post here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/11/feeling-your-emotions-introduction.html

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

Note: It's taken me a while to write this, I think like with anger, it's not a particularly easy subject. As with the Anger posts, I've decided to break it into two parts. This post will focus on sadness and depression in general, and the 2nd part will look into healing and what you can do to feel better in general.

I've titled this post "Sadness and Depression" because I believe they're different in the way that sadness is a natural state that everyone feels at some point in their life, whereas depression is more of an intense, prolonged sadness and it's classed as a mental health condition. I've also heard depression described as "anger turned inwards". So I'm looking at them both. For more on the differences you can read these articles:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201510/the-important-difference-between-sadness-and-depression

https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/depression-vs-sadness#symptoms

Update 4/11/19: This post explains it well: https://www.blurtitout.org/2018/01/04/understand-difference-sadness-depression/

Healing Mind and Body

 Last updated: February 2019


I'm currently working on a blog page of articles that I've been finding helpful on my self help/personal development journey so far. (Similar to my Resources page). I intend for it to have quite a few categories and links, so while I'm still working on it, I thought I'd also do a post about healing your mind and body. I'm including Law of Attraction (LOA) links. For more on the Law of Attraction you can read my post about it:  https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/08/law-of-attraction.html

Healing is something I've been working on for years in relation to my mental health, due to having depression, OCD and anxiety since I was a teenager. In recent years I've been trying to eat more healthily and have lost some weight. In books and articles I've read they mention how the mind and body are linked, so I think it's good to take care of both your mind and body.


There are some things I like to do which help with my mental wellbeing:

Reading and re-reading LOA books
Reading blogs/sites
Writing exercises (eg. "body journalling", see below)
Writing stories- I've been writing since I was little and sometimes I find it relaxing just sitting there and writing.

Also check out a post I did a couple of years ago on my healing tools: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2014/04/my-healing-tools.html


Now here are some useful links. I've divided them into categories.



Wellbeing

A couple of links on general wellbeing.

http://jianiteo.com/four-dimensions-wellbeing

http://enlightenyourlovelife.com/keeping-it-simple-universal-law/

http://kriscarr.com/blog/kris-carr-self-care-planner/

http://www.eltscott.com/a-guide-to-mindfulness/**

http://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/5-mini-mindfulness-methods-that-you-can-do-anywhere/slide/7/

https://melissaambrosini.com/health/my-8-daily-non-negotiables-for-supercharged-productivity/*

Anxiety Resources

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

As well as depression I also have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety, in particular health anxiety. I know that many people have similar problems and it can be hard to deal with. Sometimes I feel better than others but the anxiety is pretty much constant. I've been interested in self help techniques for years and have been looking more up lately, so I thought I'd share some resources here. :)


General help for anxiety and related disorders


No More Panic

No More Panic is a website that has articles, a forum and chat room for people who have anxiety, depression, OCD, panic disorders and phobias and their carers as well. I've often used this when I've been in a panic about something.

IMPORTANT: If you have health anxiety and you are panicked about a symptom, try not to Google it because you can put a symptom in and it can come up with all sorts of diseases associated with it that you probably don't have. If you're really worried about something try doing a search on No More Panic or a similar forum rather than just doing a random search because you're more likely to get helpful advice. :)

Update 14/10/18: Just want to add that your first port of call should be a doctor if you're worried about any symptoms/medical conditions. :)

Raising Your Vibration (Or Feeling Better)

I've been reading a lot lately about raising your vibration. It's something that's talked about in relation to the Law of Attraction. A basic explanation of the Law of Attraction (also known as LOA) is that it's a universal law that means you attract everything in your life, good and bad as a result of the things you've been thinking, the beliefs behind those thoughts and the "vibrations" you're giving out. And if you change your thoughts and beliefs from negative to positive you can raise your vibration, which will lead to you feeling better and manifesting the things you want to have in your life.

So you raise your vibration so you feel happier and once you feel good then the things you want will come to you. I did a post last year about LOA which you can read if you're interested: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/08/law-of-attraction.html

Also here's another one about manifestation methods: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2014/09/manifestation-methods.html#more

The idea of raising your vibration is about doing things that you enjoy and make you feel good. Once you're in a "better feeling place" as it's called, then you can manifest the things you want. But I think that regardless of whether you want to manifest stuff or not, it's a good idea to do things that make you feel better. For a more in depth look at what raising your vibration means, check out these posts on Deliberate Receiving:

Update 28/2/19: Now MelodyFletcher.com

https://melodyfletcher.com/law-of-attraction/law-of-attraction-articles/how-to-raise-your-vibration/#axzz3Gbf9pzTP (This explains the basics)

https://melodyfletcher.com/2011/09/25/how-to-be-happy-all-the-damn-time/

https://melodyfletcher.com/2013/11/11/tips-to-drastically-raise-your-vibration-without-having-to-hire-a-coach/


And here's another post about feeling good from Life Made To Order: http://www.livelifemadetoorder.com/blog/law-attraction-friendly-vibration/


I wrote about something similar to this in my post Healing Tools. The things that I use to raise my vibration are similar to my "healing tools" because it's all about feeling better. My main methods are music, LOA, writing and Pinterest. I'm also going to add more things to the list in this post though and talk about actively using methods for raising your vibration. :)


Music

As I mentioned in the My Healing Tools post, I really love music. I listen to it a lot. I like CDs best (although they're becoming outdated now, lol) and also really like my iPod Shuffle. So if I'm feeling down I often listen to a CD or my iPod. I also visit YouTube and Spotify a lot. Music can really affect your mood. If you feel like something really upbeat you can listen to pop or if you feel like something melancholy you can listen to gothic metal/rock, lol. (Or whatever fits your mood). You can make a playlist of songs to help you chill out or cheer up. I have both a Chillout and a Pick Me Up CD.


Reading

I love reading as well. I like different types of books but my favourites are horror, short stories and books set in Asian countries (like India, China and Japan). A few years ago I got into teen supernatural fiction, lol. Books are good because if you're feeling anxious you can distract yourself by reading. I find it comforting sometimes to re-read a favourite book. With the library it's easy to access free books. When I was younger you used to be restricted to 4 a ticket but now it's something like 21! lol.


Self Help

I've been reading self help books and websites since I was a teenager. I started out looking for help with depression and OCD but then I got into personal development. If you're feeling low it can help you to find books and sites that suggest solutions and different ways of thinking.

Here's a list of my Top 10 Self Help/Personal Development blogs: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/05/top-10-self-helppersonal-development.html

Your Courageous Life post on depression

I've been feeling very down lately and I just got this email with the latest post from Your Courageous Life, which happens to be about depression. I found it a bit helpful, so I thought I'd share it here: http://www.yourcourageouslife.com/2014/08/24/your-courage-is-for-us/

I hope it helps someone else to feel a bit (or a lot) better too. :)

Depression Resources

I have been feeling more depressed lately, it comes and goes. Sometimes I feel better than others. I'm signed up to Strong Inside Out's newsletter and I recently received an email with the latest post which is about depression triggers. I thought I would post it here in case it's helpful to anyone: http://stronginsideout.com/5-depression-triggers/

The triggers on the list for me would probably be 4. Lack of sleep (I go through phases of having trouble sleeping) and 5. Refusal to Look at the Bright Side (I can be very negative at times!). I don't drink much or do high intensity workouts. I don't eat breakfast very often but I think No 5 is the biggest trigger for me.


Another good resource about recovering from depression is this article on Danny Baker's site*:
 http://www.depressionisnotdestiny.com/dear-depression-sufferers-unfortunately-youre-probably-not-seeking-the-right-help/**


I think No 3 which mentions reading self help books and doing online therapy is a good suggestion. I've read a lot of self help books. I did use to do exercises on MoodGYM (it was suggested to me by a therapist) but I haven't for ages. It might be time to go on there again.

Danny also has a free memoir about his recovery from depression that you can download.

Hope those links are helpful and I may do another post in the future with more resources. :)



Photo: Worthing Beach. Copyright Moonsparkle 2010.






*Not the British journalist DJ and presenter (like I thought originally) but a different one! lol.

**Site now gone (as of June '18).

My Healing Tools

I've had depression since I was about 14, also OCD and anxiety since around the same time. I got into self help when I was in my late teens/early 20s because I wanted to feel better. I go through phases of feeling better than others and I do feel better now than I did a few years ago. I still struggle though, with having good days and bad days and I'm not at the point where I'd like to be. But some days I feel happier than I did, so that's a positive.


I thought I'd share a few of the things that have helped me, my "healing tools". I hope that someone else will find them useful. :)


Music

I love music. I've been really into it since I was about 12. (Before then I did like it but I didn't listen as much). I think the first single I got was Belinda Carlisle's Love In The Key of C (cassette tape) and the first album I bought was Mariah Carey's Butterfly (tape). The first CD single I bought was Solid HarmoniE's I Wanna Love You. I like different types but my favourites are pop, R'n'B, rap and foreign language like Hindi, J-pop and K-pop. I enjoy listening to music and getting lost in it.

Lots of people recommend meditation as a spiritual tool and to help you relax but I've never been that keen on it. I do meditate occasionally (I recently followed the May Cause Miracles course and meditation was a big part of that) and sometimes I enjoy it more than others but I find it much more relaxing to listen to music.

If you're into music and want to hear some relaxing pieces, I'd recommend Ivo Sedlacek's violin music. Here's Dance of Autumn Lights: Ivo Sedlack- Dance of Autumn Lights

I often post that about music on my  blog Star Sparkle Blog, so check that out if you're interested: http://starsparklex.blogspot.co.uk

Depression and Suicide

I thought I would post some links to sites about depression and suicide, since I know many people are struggling with these issues. I've had depression since I was a teenager and have had suicidal thoughts before. Although depression is talked about more these days, lots of people still aren't comfortable with the topic and suicide is seen as a very taboo thing but sometimes it's good to talk about it.

The first two are articles on suicide and the third is a link to The Journey of Hope site, which had lots of posts on mental health. Hopefully they might help some people. :)

Suicide:


http://ryzeonline.com/dirty-soul-words/ *

http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/

Update 16/8/22: I'm getting a antivirus warning for the Metanoia link above and the page doesn't seem to be loadng (the Suicide link specifically). The main page seems to be working ok.

Depression/mental health:

http://www.neseret.com/


*5/9/19: Site now gone.