Mindfulness and Depression: Things Are Looking Up
>From yoga studios to cancer clinics, from preschools to college
campuses, mindfulness is quite the buzz. Law schools are
offering courses in mindfulness as a tool to help in mediation,
and business consultants are pouncing on mindfulness as the
latest surefire path to better client relationships and higher
sales figures.
I find all this interest in mindfulness quite thrilling. It's
fun to see people looking at ways to pay attention at work as
well as at play. Of course, most of the approaches focus
squarely on meditation and its role in providing clarity in a
variety of settings. The higher the stakes, the more it seems
that meditation is considered the only right path to
mindfulness, and the most dire circumstances seem to encourage
the most brow-furrowing effort. It would appear that serious
problems require serious solutions.
I beg to differ.
Sometimes the lightest approach is the one that lifts those who
are in the deepest pit of despair. Those suffering from severe
depression have the most to gain from mindfulness, and there is
no reason to believe that meditation is the only way to get
there.
There's tremendous power in levity, and because I'm an
evangelist (evangelista?) when it comes to playing with
mindfulness, it's not too surprising that people assume I shy
away from anything too deep.
Au contraire. Mindfulness saves lives. I've seen it happen again
and again. I offer it, lovingly and lightly, on a silver platter
to those who are facing the toughest fight of their
lives--finding a reason to live.
Mindfulness is a tool for living that provides what I
affectionately refer to as the "p-word"--perspective. Without
meditating, without once mentioning the Buddha, without ever
coming across as a counselor or coach (I'm neither), it's
possible to encourage those who are suffering to step back and
see even the most desperate plight as a temporary, useful period
prior to enormous growth.
There's something freeing about staring death in the face. Our
natural tendency is to tiptoe around those who are suffering,
but when you can't even imagine ever smiling again, there's
nothing more welcome than a nearly-pee-your-pants belly laugh.
If you're sitting at the bottom of a well, another weight around
your neck isn't going to help. You need to look up, to feel
light, to rise up and climb out of your dark hole. When you've
lost all hope, laughter lifts you up and mindfulness helps you
see your way to the top.
Seems like a perfect combination to me.
I love the fact that mindfulness-based techniques have been
developed to help those suffering from anxiety and depression. I
only wish they incorporated a healthy dollop of humor at a time
when it is sorely needed and remarkably healing.
Finding hilarity in your failed suicide attempt? Now that's a
sure sign of climbing out of that well. I've held hands and
laughed with others during their "I'm such a loser I can't even
kill myself right!" talks. With humor, warmth, and gentle
guidance, we can use mindfulness to plant the seed of gratitude
that grows into joy.
In the face of despair, mindfulness and laughter are a breath of
fresh air.
Breathe deeply.