My depression makes the past and the future dangerous places for my mind to dwell. The past is filled with things that I cannot change that I will ruminate on endlessly if I don’t check myself. The future is filled with things outside my control and “what-if” spirals that can rapidly increase my anxiety if I’m not careful. That’s why staying in the present is the safest place for my mind – it’s where I can be at peace. But living in the moment is a practice, it’s something I work at, and certain activities are more conducive to this practice.
That’s where “mindfulness” comes in. Mindfulness is a practice or type of meditation where you focus intensely on what you are sensing and feeling in the moment. I first learned about this in treatment, but it is something that anyone can do the bring their busy mind a moment of peace. One of my favorite activities consists of working through your five senses and focusing on each sense at a time and identifying what it is and how it feels. Mindfulness can also involve a variety of breathing exercises which help you to breathe deeply and increase much needed oxygen to your brain.
Last week, I planted my herb garden at home. Cutting fresh herbs is one of those activities that grounds me in the moment and forces me to appreciate the here-and-now. As you cut fresh herbs, the aromatic oils in the plant dissipate into the air that you are breathing. So, as I’m working with my hands, touching the leaves as I cut off what I need, I’m also smelling the aroma, seeing the splendor of the new growth, hearing the clip of the shears, and tasting the flavor that I will be adding to a dish.
At work, my favorite herb to harvest is basil. We have two 6’x6’ patches of basil, so when you start cutting, you are totally surrounded by the basil. As I breathe deeply, and work my focus through my five senses, I’m taking the basil in. It’s at that moment, when I almost feel the basil in my soul, that I feel so alive. My five senses are overwhelmed by the basil, and nothing else in the world matters. I can think only of basil and my mind is at peace.
At home, my herb garden is on a much smaller scale more suited to my living situation. But it is still a refuge I seek out before each meal as I take a moment for myself and let my mind be carried away from the world, even if just for a minute.
