by Tab Moura
When seasonal depression first reared its head in my life, it consumed me… it tipped the scale and I fell into a cycle of depression that took a few years to learn to manage. Through counseling, diet and supplementing, and of course cannabis, I’ve found a lot relief through the years.
Between my epilepsy and my depression, I don’t always feel in control of where my mind wanders… so I am not very good at stereotypical “meditation.” I know we’ve all seen someone in a show cross their legs, pinch their thumb and finger together and begin saying “oooohmmmm…”
I am in no way an expert, and I won’t be teaching classes anytime soon, but I’ve learned a lot from trial and error. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned about meditation is it comes in many forms, and it’s helpful to start with something comfortable.
Today, I want to share my favorite way to center myself, it’s a visual process…
- I imagine myself in a car, for me it’s a classic red car with a hard top and a big muffler. The details matter when it comes to a process like this, the goal is to be immersed; the windows are rolled down- it has manual windows (naturally) and crappy AC. There’s a luau girl on the dash, I’m listening to the radio (“Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay) and I can hear the map (that I’m not using) rattle, blowing in the wind in the back seat.
- Some days all I need to do is get myself in the driver’s seat, and that’s enough to reset my mood. But sometimes I have to keep going. What kind of road am I on? What time is it? What’s outside the window? What is the weather like? I have taken this vision many directions.
What I’ll leave you with, is this encouragement: your goal is to to be in the driver seat. Whether that’s metaphorical, or literal, is up to you… but the vision is meant to be gentle. It’s meant to be a breath of fresh air. A way to pace yourself. Soak it up.
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