From the Touchstone Tarot, the Six of Cups; from the John Waterhouse Oracle, Sweet Idleness:
One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they weight our memories to the good. —Gretchen Rubin
Can you think of six happy memories? I imagine going through some old photos might help us remember quite a few. Or even better, we could get together with an old friend and talk about the craziness of our youth. Sweet Idleness, however, offers a caution. Our minds are wired to gravitate towards the negative rather than the positive; it was useful for staying aware of saber tooth tigers, but not so beneficial in today's world for those who suffer from depression or anxiety. Letting our minds drift on their own could steer us to emotional quicksand. So find (or make) a set of photos or other pictures that help shine a light when things get dark.
But a photographic redirect is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteMy 'job' is not to get hooked by my thoughts or believe everything I think (and my mind is an ever- flowing geyser). When I was younger, I had a scrapbook of beautiful magazine photos - country gardens and fields - that I would look through when I needed a boost.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Kate!
ReplyDelete