Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

Summer
The hot weather
Salt and sweet popcorn
McDonald's new chocolate chip iced frappe 
Living near the country
The Map book by Boni Lonnsburry- I've been re-reading it. (See this post for more on it: http://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/law-of-attraction.html#more)
The honeysuckle and rose hand cream I bought at Roundstone
Dance Moms starting again

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).

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

The hotter weather
Roses
Living close to the countryside
The last of the Easter chocolate I'm finishing up!
Adventures in Manifesting Love and Oneness e-book that I got as a bonus for buying Sarah Prout's MANIFEST course
Being able to buy it when she had a pay what you want offer
Having a free cup of coffee at Mayberry Garden Centre
Lovely smelling candles

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

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

Spring
Blossom trees
May Cause Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein
My new BlackBerry Curve
Personal Alchemy e-book that I heard about through Facets of Joy
Easter
Easter eggs
Easter themed chocolate!

The Love Project- Romantic Love

So now it's time to move on to Romantic Love. :)

I'd suggest starting with Celestine Chua's soulmate series. She wrote several posts about how she found her soulmate Ken Soh and has some tips for you to find your soulmate.She starts out writing about her journey in love so far, then moves onto how Ken came into her life (or rather back into her life!), the issues she had to work through before being in a relationship, how she realised Ken is the one for her, how Ken realised she is the one for him and then ends with a guide to love and how to know when you've found the one. I found her series very inspiring.:)

Stat here with the first post and you can work your way through: http://personalexcellence.co/blog/love/

Or if you just want to read the tips for attracting authentic love into your life, go here: http://personalexcellence.co/blog/finding-love/

Here is a post on Facets of Joy about letting love in, which I think is hard for a lot of people to do, (me included): http://facetsofjoy.com/2013/10/if-youd-like-to-let-love-in/**

And an article on how it's ok to want and look for love. A lot of the time we're told that we should be complete by ourselves and while I think it's a good thing to be complete by yourself, it's also natural to want to connect with and find love with others. (The same can apply to wanting friends or love and connection with your family). We don't need to feel guilty about it. I found this article helpful: http://www.gaiamtv.com/blog/why-we-shouldn-t-feel-guilty-looking-love**



And finally another good post is on Gentle Living*, it's about Liz and her husband Jaime's love story. Liz writes about the things Jaime has taught her about love and also shares their wedding photos. :) Check it out here: http://strongsensitivesouls.com/my-love-story-everything-i-know-about-love/

Hope you find these helpful. :)


*9/3/18: Now Strong Sensitive Souls. Link is updated.

** 18/5/20: Links redirect/no longer work.

Gratitude List

Things I'm grateful for this month:

My birthday presents
Birthday cards and wishes
Red Velvet cake
The daffodils coming up
Sunnier, slightly warmer weather
The Black Rabbit pub
Beautiful sunsets
My new CD player