This last week I have been working on reducing distractions of the mind. It is not dissimilar to having a spring clean of your home, where once finished your shit is in order and you can see things clearly. In the same vein my mind is a little clearer already from having less to focus on. More importantly for a depressive I have more clarity to see what is truly important.

Having less distractions for my brain means I can actually maintain concentration at work and I've been happy with how I've got on in the last week. Alongside this I have restarted my daily meditation practice in order to help clear the mind and deal with anything that arises through the week. I've got a good balance with my gym training too in that I am going three times a week, but not exceeding that. Less is more in that regard as it gives my body a chance to recover from work.

The secret with depression and anxiety is that there is no secret. There is no magic cure or pill (even if it's prescribed) that will cure these ills (at least not in the short term). The formula to successfully dealing with both is research, consistent effort, time and support. Research relates to the discovery of what you are experiencing and strategies and tools to help you manage what you have. Consistent effort means you don't shy away when things go bad or give up on strategies when times are good, you keep living life. If you became obese over 20 years would you expect to lose it all in a week? No, so don't expect miracles to occur just because you decide to deal with your depression or anxiety. It's going to take time, so be patient, accept it and smile! Support means friends and family. Let them know what is happening, let them in (even if it's just cracking the door to your mind) and spend time with them. Life is not about struggling on selflessly through troublesome times. Sharing within your closest circle of friends or family will help them understand why you might appear to be a grumpy tart, or why you never want to do anything socially. Nobody is a mind reader.

I could go on about the last a lot more and perhaps I will repeat myself in future posts as you can never read it enough times. I found a tool recently that was enlightening. I read the New Scientist thanks to my great friend Nick and I love reading and learning about the Universe when articles appear in an edition. A recent article talked of the Multiverse and my brain almost exploded at the theorem presented about it. But the one thing I always see when I read about the Universe is how small we are. Not just our lonely planet, but us as individuals. We are tiny specs in this amazing space and we are completely insignificant. That realisation actually helps me to relax. It may not seem like it because it sounds depressive, but actually it is a realisation that if you can accept it will help you out.

Well that is enough chatter for now. Keep keeping on people!

Are you ok?

T