These gorgeous pastel spring-colored crochet mandalas are from Sonia in Barcelona. They are part of the Mandalas for Marinke remembrance project. See all of the posts for this project here.
For today’s depression awareness post, I’d love to turn your attention to the article by Stephanie Mitchell Hughes called Depression is Like Going Down the Rabbit Hole. In this article, she shares her lifelong battle with depression and smartly explains that she realizes she can’t avoid relapse but that there are things she can do to prevent it from getting to its worst spot and reduce its impact on her overall life journey. She names ten things:
First and foremost, she notes that she must take her medication “as prescribed and participate in treatment”. This is well said, because it goes a little further than the mandate to take meds and go to therapy. It is important to work with the professionals in your life. It’s not that they know everything. It’s not that you can’t question them. It’s not that you can’t make changes. But you have to have an open, ongoing, authentic, honest conversation with them and work together to battle the condition.
She goes on to include the importance of self-care, including eating right, filling her mind with beauty, meditating on the right things and remaining mindful.
As part of her self-care, she also makes sure to set clear boundaries and stay away from the things that hurt her. She shares that it’s important to “remind myself that I am not a victim because I live with depression. I am more than a conqueror. I am an overcomer.”
Finally, she shares the importance of telling her own story as part of her journey of living with depression. This helps. In my opinion, it always helps. It helps you and it helps others and it helps to add to the collective knowledge we have about how to live with and be compassionate about the condition of depression.
Sonia also sent this beautiful crochet butterfly!
Thank you so much for a so beautiful post!!!
#crochetsavedmylife too
Hi i really love the mandalas for wink is there a pattern for them the ones above
http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2015/07/crochet-mandala-patterns-by-marinke/
Hi is there a way i can get the patterns from Stephanie Mitchell Hughes mandalas i also suffer from depression but not very good at creating my own i like reading peoples stories about there depression i am finding my own depression getting worse and having anxiety also i would be very grateful if there is a pattern but if not i hope you all find ways to manage with depression
Thank you ever so much for such a meaningful post. It has resonated with me today as I can feel the familiar and dreaded feelings of depression creeping back upon me at the moment. It is becoming a daily struggle again. Although I am fully aware of the steps that I could take towards self care, it can be hard to find the motivation needed to take them whilst slowly slipping into a hole. But it is always so helpful to read others experience of both facing and coping with depression,it helps to remember that I’m not alone and that it will pass. It is Sunday today, so a day of rest, self care and mindful crochet 🙂