Monday, August 2, 2010

Using Gratitude to Fight Depression

Welcome to the 99th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs.

YOURS: Today's "YOURS" goes to Salsa Mama over at "Smell the Roses"! Before I get to her post, however, you NEED to see her header. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life....

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Okay, I'll calm down now.

So anyway, Salsa Mama happens to be a personal friend of mine, so it was really fun to have been able to chose her post as today's feature. She is a beautiful person, a great mom, and a loving wife. Plus, she's super-crafty and knows how to do all kinds of things, including making THIS $2.00 kid's room art project...

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So precious! To read how Salsa Mama did this, go HERE. Thank you so much, Salsa Mama, for your inspiration!

MINE: While I was traveling last month, I picked up a copy of The Reader's Digest and came across an informative article entitled 7 Home Health Checks That Can Save Your Life.

One of the most interesting segments was a quick quiz one could take which could help spot depression. The article stated that, if after taking the quiz, you determine that you could be suffering from depression, there are various way to help yourself. The article states, "The good news is that there’s a lot of help available, including counseling, exercise, gratitude journals, and, if you need them, antidepressants.

I'd never heard of a gratitude journal, but it seemed pretty self-explanatory, so I decided to adopt the idea into my own life. Not that I think I'm suffering from depression, but sometimes I feel like I spend too much time feeling unhappy.

So what I've decided is that every night when I pray, I will start my prayers with a list of at least ten things for which I am grateful. And sometimes, I might blog it, like today...


I am grateful...

...that I recovered from my illness enough to attend church.

...that the tamales we bought from the cute young man who only spoke Spanish in the Walmart parking lot didn't give us food poisoning.

...that we were able to take the tamales to Aunt Bobbi's and enjoy them for lunch, along with refried beans and cheese, strawberry salad and Marie Calendar's apple cobbler... with only the baby in tow.

...that I was able to catch up with people at my mom's church I hadn't spoken to in a while.

...that I was able to see Jeremy and Cariss, some of our dear family friends who were totally there for the kids when my first husband died.

...that the baby now seems to have a schedule, and goes to bed at 8:30. Woohoo!

...that my mother and I had a very relaxing Sunday napping, organizing her jewelry, and looking at THIS newborn posing inspiration site.

...that the 4-month-old is an easy baby, and rarely cries for an incomprehensible reason. Mostly he just wants to eat all the time.

...that I recently read a blogger's article that reminded me that gluttony is a sin, and I should stop doing it to find happiness at the end of a stressful day.

...that I had enough willpower, because of reading this article, to eat only one Ghirardelli brownie.

I also read an article today about how to make everybody like you, and one of the things you shouldn't do is to make too many promises. Sometimes they are hard to keep, and if you break them, you become a disappointment. It's better to just keep quiet, then go ahead and deliver, thus exceeding expectations. I've noticed that I promise a lot of things on this blog, and that I don't usually follow through, so I'm definitely not promising to blog my gratitude list every day, but I just may every so often. There, now you can't be disappointed and I may even exceed your expectations. I promise to post a link to this article about how to make everybody like you later this week. :)

OURS: K, I'm so looking forward to reading your homemaking tips, recipes, how-tos and even disasters, 'cause we can learn a lot from those, too! Thanks so much for visiting and/or linking up. Have a great Homemaker Monday!



Today on...

-life in mexico {and other places} a picture a day: {a boy chasing seagulls}
-365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time: Glow Stick Time!
-Fotografia Colonia: Savannah - 9 Days Old (Here's a sneak peak...)

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9 comments:

April J Harris said...

I first read about Gratitude Journals in Sarah Ban Breathnach's book Simple Abundance. They are such a wonderful way to concentrate on the positive in your life, and I find the more grateful I am the more wonderful things happen :-)

Thanks for hosting Homemaker Monday!

Emily Heizer Photography said...

Sigh. I love you lady!

I seriously struggle with depression, and by seriously, I mean I have all the help in the world and it's still not enough and every day is hard. What's harder is keeping it to myself. Sigh.

Maybe I should try a gratitude journal.

alessandra said...

I passed all my life trying to please others in order to be liked and loved, I failed miserably because there are people who just are never satisfied, whatever you do.
Now I learned to love myself, and do what I want in order to be the one who is satisfied, so I don't need to be liked anymore (but if you like me I'm pleased of course).
The Gratitude Journal is a a great thing.
There is also the Book of positive aspects, I posted about it here:
http://18stepstohappiness.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-of-positive-aspects.html

Johnlyn said...

I too read about the Gratitude journal in Simple Abundance. It helped me get through the death of my mother.

So much better to focus on the blessings!

Sometimes that is easier said than done though!

The Fisher's said...

My mom's ward did a Relief Society lesson on gratitude where they encouraged you to do this - so she put a posterboard by the front door with a pencil attached and would add something to it when she walked out that door - she said it was nice to see what other family members were grateful for as well - got everyone thinking a bit more about it anyway :)

Thanks for this - we're struggling with a bit of depression off and on and this was a nice reminder!

Leslie {Goodbye, house. Hello, home!} said...

Hi!
I am new here, but I got here as fast as i could!
Love this party idea since I love my job of Home Maker so very much!
Have a blessed day making your home!
Hugs,
~Leslie
P.S. Can't wait to see what the others are up to! :)

Salsa Mama said...

Thanks for picking me, Jen! What an honor. A couple of years ago, I made gratitude journals for my kids and myself (I was inspired by something I saw on Oprah, if you can believe it!). I should post about them on my blog, because they came out pretty cute. :) It has been great for me, counting my blessings always cheers me up. Thanks for the post!

Panamamama said...

Gratitude does fight depression! Thanks for the great post. And, by the way, do you have the Ghiardelli brownie recipe? Someone brought some to our cub scout picnic and I was in heaven.

Mom2my10 @ 11th Heaven said...

panamamama, I just used the box mix. However, I have a recipe that is every bit as good as the Ghirardelli mix. It's here...

http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/2010/06/homemaker-monday-brownie-recipe-ive.html

Hope you love it!