DAY 2: OUR BODY, OUR BREATH
I think it's SO common for us to hold our breath in photos but that disconnects us from our body and enhances any anxiety in our body that might be coming up. How did focusing on the breath feel for you?
May 2, 2022: I had a nervous breakdown last night, sharing to my story some of the deep sobbing I found myself in. I was doing so well in recent weeks, but last night it was all crashing down. It hurt. My body ached. My chest was tight. As if it was caught in a vice that someone was slowly tightening by turning the handle that moved its rusty lead screw.
I reflected on March 2nd how focussing on my breath provides me with a way to slow down when I get agitated, anxious & depressed… when I remember to do it. Last night was one of those nights where I totally forgot to breathe. So when I got home tonight, I lay in bed, and breathed. I started with several sets of five deep breaths in a row. To paraphrase @thichnhathanh - Breathing in, I knew I was alive. Hold for two seconds. And breathing out, I knew it was good.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER TOOLS FOR GROUNDING THAT YOU USE IN OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE?
Ponder what tools or actions you take part in to get grounded. Maybe it's making a cup of tea. Maybe it is feeling your feet on the ground or doing mountain pose? Maybe it is noticing your senses. Or maybe it is a crystal you like to hold or a stone in your pocket that helps you get grounded. List them here! And then ponder...could we include some of these as part of our process this month? Could we make ourselves a cup of tea as we're reading the class activities and get grounded before we take our selfie? Or feel the ground beneath our feet before we pick up our camera?
This morning, I did sleep in but had time to take the dogs into my Mom’s backyard so they could do their business. I walked out with them, leaving my sandals in the house, just letting my feet walk across the cement patio and onto the cool grass that was still wet from the rain that had fallen during the night. There was a drizzle too but it felt nice on my skin. I slowly walked out into the yard, eventually coming to a stop, closing my eyes. I breathed in. And then out. In, and then out. In. Out.
Today I attended the first day of a mental health first aid course I signed on for. It wasn’t the easiest day, especially when it came to the discussion of depression, mood disorders, & of course, suicide. So basically the discussion of everything. I loved hearing about a 2004 ad campaign by the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (CPRF), called “Imagine if we treated everyone like we treat the mentally ill.” Naomi Liu, in an article for #heretohelpbc describes how “The ads asked people to juxtapose how they treat people with physical conditions or disabilities with their treatment of people with psychiatric disabilities…” again this campaign was so good. So important. And thank you @stjohnambulancebc for sharing it as a part of your course.
122/365.
Today’s photo prompt and reflective journaling questions for today was a part of the BE YOUR OWN BELOVED photo workshop challenge which is run several times throughout the year by photographer VIVIENNE McMASTER. It’s well worth signing up for, and doing alongside other participants.
#beyourownbeloved #beyourownbeloved💖 #depressionhelp #depressionawareness #startingover #selflove #selflovejourney #selflove #dailyselfie #dailywriting #subvertedselfies #subvertedselfie #art #photography #photo #face #selfloveisnotselfish #sad #depressed