why depression is good for you

Maybe we could appreciate the role of depression in the economy of the soul more if we could only take away the negative connotations of the word. What if “depression” were simply a state of being, neither good nor bad, something the soul does in its own good time and for its own good reasons? What if it were simply one of the planets that circle the sun? One advantage of using the traditional image of Saturn, in place of the clinical term depression, is that then we might see melancholy more as a valid way of being rather than as a problem that needs to be eradicated.

~ thomas moore, care of the soul

i used to be like some of you.

a believer that depression was a bad sign. that something was wrong with me.

i shouldn’t feel this way:

sad, angered, easily irritated. with such dark thoughts and blue-ish red emotions.

8 ways zumba is making me feel alive

moving diaries // zumba nr. 2

if you missed the other diary entries, check them here.

i’m still amazed how dancing releases my wild nature, my true self.

my husband says i don’t look like myself, because i’m more extroverted. more bossy: i do ask for what i want, with no apologies. with no excuses. with no holding backs.

and i replied: that doesn’t mean i’m not being myself. it just shows that people aren’t used to that side of my personality. that they don’t know my real self, because i was never able to reveal it.

why routines are killing you and what to do about it

before going to routines. let me tell you about what i discover today about death, life and sex.

have you heard about the death drive?

it is a psychoanalytic term to explain the desire of death. not per se, but a version of it that goes against the drive of pleasure, of creation and life.

it seems like death and sex are two sides of the same coin.

17 mantras of simple living

as a free spirit living a simple life, i vow myself to the universe in:

// living my life with clear intentions, in a mindful and kind way.

// loving unconditionally, and respecting others as they are. may that be another being, nature or the universe.

// letting go what no longer serves me, or doesn’t have any purpose in my life.

// slowing down, so i can pay attention to my body, my feelings and my soul. to follow my intuition, and give space to my inner-voice to speak up.

the 4 best things a zumba class can teach you

moving diaries // zumba nr. 1

if you missed the other diary entries, check them here.

today i went to a zumba class.

it was my first work-out {if i don’t count yoga} in two decades. yes, two decades!

and i’ve learnt quite a few things about my body and my beliefs.

as i entered the room, i saw it was filled with mirrors, projecting my image front and back. fear appeared right away.

have you stopped today to just feel?

i woke up and prepared my semi-hot water with lemon juice, then went outside. i rolled out my mat, looked at the white sky, felt the pale light onto my skin and began my sun salutions.

taking deep breaths.

feeling peaceful.

feeling whole.

when one action changes your whole life

today i wake up, drank my semi-hot lemon water and went outside to do yoga. i was there for 20 minutes or so.

it felt really good to be outside of the house, almost in total silence {it was 7 a.m.}. i felt my breath, my muscles, my body moving. the sun and the breeze caressing my skin. but i didn’t pay attention to my heart. if it was beating slowly. or fast. next time i need to do that.

i don’t remember having any strong thoughts, just things coming and going very lightly. they didn’t worry me, or left an emotion.

on our day-to-day activities, that’s rare. often our thoughts want to make an impression, and often we don’t give them attention enough to know where our feelings come from and why we’re feeling and reacting in a certain way.

the magic of finding my purpose

he who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.

~ nietzsche

i finally found my way. my mission. my purpose on this world. i finally found how my every interest connects to each other.

i am creative. i am a writer. and a poet. i’m interested in yoga. meditation. mindfulness. kindness. buddhism. i’m a free spirit. i am a rebel. i don’t conform. i long for a simple life. i’m frugal. emotional. unattached to materialism. i think deeply. i want to love unconditionally. i want to help people to be happy. i want to be happy! i want to embrace my fears and teach others to do the same. i want to maximize the use of the resources i have. i want to understand how the universe works. i want to know about its laws and act accordingly. i’m interested in the human mind. i need to understand the alchemy of of the soul. i…

the best way to be problem free

It’s remarkable how often people will think they will be better off without the things that bother them.

~ thomas moore on care of the soul

annihilating what bother us doesn’t makes us grow, and it won’t makes us happy for sure.

if that ‘thing’ exists in our lives, it has a motive, a reason, a purpose.

when we look at nature, we see that even the more ‘horrendous’ creatures have a role. cockroaches make the soil fertile. the flies pollinate (yes!) and decompose organic matter. they also control plagues, alongside with scorpions. wow, right?

how to nurture yourself when you’re taking care of others

Tending the things around us and becoming sensitive to the importance of home, daily schedule, and maybe even the clothes we wear, are ways of caring for the soul.

when we think about “taking care of the soul”, it comes to our mind images of an introspective work from us to ourselves, and not from us to others.

however, taking care of whoever is around us is also taking care of ourselves, because external aspects influence our internal world. it is also by external factors that we give evidence to our personality, so it is important to look at the material world not as trivial, but as a tool to reach our internal well-being.