On My Mind

med·i·tate/ˈmedəˌtāt/

Verb:	Think deeply or focus for a time for spiritual purposes or to relax. Think deeply or carefully about (something).
Synonyms:	contemplate - think - muse - ponder - reflect - cogitate

The mind is an incredible thing.

What you meditate on stays on your mind.

It is something I really struggle with. It is part of the daily battle with depression, some days it really does take all of my mental strength just to get out of bed, let alone put some cereal in a bowl. Or any thing else.

I know the power of the mind. It has the capacity to be an inescapable prison, a fortress or a torturous place where we can get trapped in cyclical destructive thinking.

People say "you are what you eat", well I reckon

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK!

"you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." Philippians 4:8 (MSG)

But hey, you might not believe any of that namby-pamby crap.

The mind is pretty much the last unexplored territory on the planet, and science is just starting to discover things that were actually  written in the bible thousands of years ago are true.

It is well accepted that negative thoughts and anxiety can make us ill. Stress - the belief that we are at risk - triggers physiological pathways such as the "fight-or-flight" response, mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. These have evolved to protect us from danger, but if switched on long-term they increase the risk of conditions such as diabetes and dementia.

What researchers are now realising is that positive beliefs don't just work by quelling stress. They have a positive effect too - feeling safe and secure, or believing things will turn out fine, seems to help the body maintain and repair itself.

Optimism seems to reduce stress-induced inflammation and levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. It may also reduce susceptibility to disease by dampening sympathetic nervous system activity and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. The latter governs the so-called "rest and digest" response - the opposite of fight-or-flight.

- Jo Marchant, New Scientist

The mind can cause us harm if it doesn't, or isn't allowed to, function correctly. Long term stress doesn't just affect ourselves, but how we see the world, how we interact with other people, even how we interpret a piece of information, the words we choose to hear. The beauty of it is that most of us actually have the capacity to choose.

Choosing to accentuate the positive is not just a nice thing to do. It is a powerful weapon against depression and self doubt and everything that holds us back from fulfilling our dreams and purposes. It riles me when people say "oh isn't that nice, she's got her faith, how lovely" NO. Actually it isn't, sometimes it's bloody hard. Often the last thing I want to do is stand in a row of people and sing about how good God is when I have dreams inside that seem impossible. But I still do. That is not hypocritical. It is taking a stand. It is saying "This thing is bigger than me, but it is not bigger than my God, who gave it to me in the first place, and therefore I believe that it will come to fruition" and it is from that place that I sing.

Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.
    Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!
You’re ending up with far more children
    than all those childbearing women.” God says so!

Isaiah 54:1 MSG

I learnt recently that this verse is not just about having actual children. It is also about having God-given dreams fulfilled. It is about having faith that God put these dreams in your heart, not because He is a mean God, but because He wants you to succeed, with His help. James 4 says "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (vs 7, 8 & 10)

I have dreams that I believe God put in my heart. But I'm still on medication for depression, and I have this daily battle before I can even eat.

So what I have to choose to do, and it is my choice, is to trust that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Rom 8:28 (NASB). I know that I am coming out of PND. I know that I am coming out of it stronger, with a renewed passion and purpose. With my creativity reignited.

Here we go!