Would you vote for a politician who was open about having a severe mental illness?
When it became apparent that the COVID-19 crisis was going to have a significant negative effect on people’s mental health, I thought that possibly those of us with a history of severe mental illness might fare better than the average person. After all, we have a lot of experience with limited social contact, lost jobs and stressors that cause anxiety, depression and mania. Perhaps we have better coping skills than most.
Can meditation help you identify oncoming anxiety, depression or mania and give you time to intervene and avoid the worst? I’ve found that it can.
Meditation is simply being still and noticing things. Feelings in the body and thoughts that come up in the mind are observed without harsh judgment or fixation. They don’t need to be dismissed, but are instead observed and reflected on for their effect on one’s wellbeing.
Being conscious of the nature of thoughts and the sensations in the body can be a powerful tool in predicting mood changes.