Maya's Joy of Life Crochet Pattern for Mandalas for Marinke

Here is the next of the beautiful, inspiring, special contributions coming in to the #MandalasForMarinke remembrance project. I am grateful for each and every amazing contribution. You are invited to join; learn more here.

Beautiful Crochet Mandala Pattern

Maya of The Little Treasures sent me this beautiful crochet mandala that she made. But more than that, she also shares the free crochet mandala pattern with all of us on her blog. She wrote there:

“When I learned about the premature departure of Wink from A Creative Being I was in shock. I think everyone who met her through her work – especially through her amazing mandalas was … I named it Joy of Life, because life is the greatest gift we receive and we should treasure it.”

Meet the Maker

This wonderful contribution comes from Maya of The Little Treasures, whose work I adore as both a crochet designer and crochet artist. Find her on Etsy as Sewella where she sells patterns and finished items. Maya shares this important message:

“Cherish and treasure life as it is the greatest gift we receive!”

On the “about” of Maya’s blog, she writes about herself:

“My name is Maya, but I am also known as a mother to my children, a wife to my husband besides being a teacher of English, a translator of works, a knitter, a devoted crocheter, and an aspiring seamstress. In my free time I am an apprentice of fairies, master of words and spinner of tales. This is the corner where you can find the work of my hands, mind and heart.”

Words by Wink

In January 2014, Wink wrote:

“Last year I tried to cram as much creative time into my life as possible, with the result of me having to take almost the entire month of December off to recharge. That’s not going to happen to me again this year 🙂 I want to focus more on the internal, on myself, and my peace of mind.”

About Depression

One purpose of this project is to raise awareness about depression so each post will end with some facts, thoughts or quotes about depression, suicide and/or mental health. Today I thought I’d discuss externalized symptoms of depression. We usually think about internal symptoms, and women tend to internalize more (but of course this varies from person to person) but depression can have external symptoms, too. A 2015 Forbes article by Alice Walton on The Subtle Symptoms of Depression explains:

“Depression can poke through in unexpected ways, both physical and behavioral – it’s kind of like depression is finding a way out, if it isn’t being acknowledged otherwise. “Some people, particularly men, are more likely to externalize their depression,” says psychologist and author of When Depression Hurts Your Relationship, Shannon Kolakowski, PsyD. “Depression symptoms come out through excessively drinking alcohol, seeking out an affair outside of the relationship, becoming aggressive, or withdrawing from those you love. Similarly, physical symptoms like backaches or low sexual desire are less recognized as depression because they’re externalized.” Extreme fatigue – both mental and physical – is a common symptom (of course it can be indicative of other things, so it’s important to get checked out), as are changes in eating habits (not eating, or conversely, overeating) or sleep patterns.”

The article goes on to discuss the related symptom of lashing out, as well as symptoms like self-medicating and perfectionism. In a related article on Psychology Today by Joel L. Young, MD, there is discussion of anger as a symptom of depression:

“This kind of anger isn’t the kind we all experience when we’re annoyed, though. Depression can lead to serious, sudden, and pronounced anger. This anger may be externalized and directed at a loved one, or it could be turned inward; some people even engage in self-mutilation because they feel such anger toward themselves.”

Remember that depression has many symptoms and looks different in different people. Honor your own experience of it and try to understand the experiences of your loved ones through this lens.

All contributions to Mandalas for Marinke are welcome and will help raise awareness about depression while honoring her work in the same way that this great contribution has done today. Details to join here.