It is that lovely part of the day again, and today as the heat dissipates and the sun dips, instead of a headache I have a peaceful mind and a cold glass of wine.  There is still mowing going on, and watering and food cooking and I am taking my now habitual five… or 10.

I read a while back and scribbled on my mirror notes, that gratitude is the antidote to depression.  And I am grateful that that has rung true for me.  I am grateful for the act of making it a daily, sometimes hourly, even instinctive practice for any moments or dips, redirecting me back to positivity.

I am also grateful for the practice of journaling, helping me find the weeds and nasty stinging nettles of my mind, so that the fragrance and beauty can be rediscovered.

And then there is my new found love and gratitude for meditation and mindfulness.  Even if only for a few minutes a day, in the longer, darker days, this brought peace and hope and a calmness I didn’t think would be possible.

So perhaps, as I sit here in my pondering moments of 5… or 10… that is my recipe for getting through depression, or dark days, challenging times even.

Gratitude + journaling + mindfulness, give it time and patience and wrap it all up with compassion and love:  for yourself, until you can find it in your own heart to muster up enough energy and the courage to give it away again to others.