Project Happiness Articles — peace

Knowledge is power, the old adage goes. Learning has gotten humanity to where it is today. After all, you wouldn’t be reading this blog post if it wasn’t for an exhaustive list of individuals that go way back in time whose want for knowledge was passionate and relentless.

Now, the countryside gets a bad rep sometimes. Isn’t it just full of old fogies that love saying “Hello there” to random strangers? Or is it the bees, wasps and stinging nettles that put people off? Even so, I’m here, on Mental Health Awareness Week, to stand up for Mr Countryside. Because he helped me battle depression.

So, tell me, did I sleep through the portion of Home Ec where they taught us that in addition to sewing on a button, we needed to learn positive self-talk? Did I miss the college course: “Care for Thyself Fundamentals?” At what point are we taught to love and honor ourselves as individuals and human beings?

Deep inside we’re all lost, our souls hungry for places that still have some archetype of a wonder we’re eagerly searching. That’s why we’ve put together this short list of destinations where you can find your soul food and reconnect with your inner self again.

You thoughts create a cause and an effect. When you sow a thought, you reap a like result. Those consequences become your reality in which you live. Now when you think of something you send a vibrational message to bring that into your reality - like attracts like.

We need to follow and listen to our inner guidance “GPS – Gratitude, Purpose, Soul” system! Our Zen Intuition will always lead us along the divine path, but we need to listen and have faith that we are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.  

I believe the majority of humanity can relate to the feeling of having our hearts smashed into pieces. I'm not a pro, thus my explanation would be more of a childlike one, but being middle age and having gone through some living experience, I've learnt 2 things.

I attended a workshop recently on the topic of flow or what some people refer to as “the zone.”  We were discussing that professional athletes, musicians, and experts, create their best work in the zone. So, is being in “the zone” just for the extraordinary or can we mere mortals, doing well but seeking to do better, learn the tricks of the trade?  

The modern corporate lifestyle glorifies the “Work hard, play hard” philosophy – you should have it all, and you should have it right away. A successful career, an abundant social life, the right body, the expensive holiday, a plethora of possessions…all topped with a flashy Instagram profile to show off just how fun-loving you are.

Facing mental health issues leaves you caught in the headlights. It strips you of everything you think is essential and forces you to reevaluate your life, and that's what has happened to me. Crazy, I know, but thats how my issues with mental health can alter my thinking. And yet I am not my illness, and every day I strive to take up the challenge to celebrate life for all that it is.