Reducing Stress by Eating a Raisin…

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you will know that I suffer from depression. I recently talked about how I want to make 2016 ‘my year’, therefore learning to cope with my mental health problems will be one of my goals. My university run a course called ‘Mindfulness’, which aims to help reduce the levels of stress in our lives and allow us to better manage our anxieties – sounds like just the ticket for me!

I attended a brief orientation, where we learned about what Mindfulness could offer us and, on Wednesday, I completed my first full session. The whole course lasts for eight weeks, during which time I’m hoping to gain better control over my mind and learn what triggers my really bad days, but what have I learnt in my first week…?

 

- Raisins are still just as disgusting as when I was little

- It doesn’t matter how many heaters are on, the floor is still cold

- I can still fall asleep absolutely anywhere

 

Before we started using any techniques the whole idea behind Mindfulness was briefly explained. One of the definitions I found easiest to understand was:

 

‘Mindfulness means paying attention in a 

particular way, on purpose, in the present

moment and non-judgementally.’

 

To help test out how well our brains can cope with this, we were given three raisins to examine. We had to fully pay attention to these raisins and act as if we had never seen them before. Smell, hearing, touch and sight were all tested before we finally popped one in our mouth for a taste… Did I mention I hate raisins?! We weren’t allowed to swallow it, only chew it once and keep it suspended in our saliva so we could fully experience the flavour. This exercise was meant to teach us about fully being in the present moment and experiencing food properly instead of ignoring it – all I could think of was how much I hate raisins!

 

Another exercise, known as the ‘body scan’ was introduced. We are often so caught up in our busy lives, we don’t notice how our body feels, or even if we are in pain. The body scan is a meditation exercise where we spend a little time thinking about each body part and how we are truly feeling. Our instructor started with the toes and began working her way up the body – the last thing I heard was ankle… It’s too easy to sleep when meditating!

 

From my descriptions, it doesn’t really sound like I’ve had a successful first session, but I hope I’ve provided a little comedy in my search for a depression cure. I will post again once the full eight weeks are done but, for now, I will keep it short. While we are told not to have any expectations, I’m hoping this course will be of great benefit and leave me happier and healthier in the future!
 

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