HOME | DD

Description
This is the 15th part of my project "The Robots' Guide to Winter Depression" - an illustrated guide on how to get through the dark winter months and handle seasonal affective disorder. If you happen to speak Swedish, you'll find the original guide on my instagram: www.instagram.com/joensoderhol…

Tip number 15 - Meditation
Meditation can be a way for you to wind down, take a break from negative or intrusive thoughts and find some calm. In fact, a lot of research indicate that meditation can help reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms, along with other benefits.

Meditation is a broad topic and different kinds of meditation are part of many, many cultures and religions in the world. And I'm by no means an expert on any kind of meditation really. But here is one of the more common and simple ways of meditation you can try:

1. Sit down somewhere comfortable and quiet (it doesn't have to be completely silent, but at least calm)

2. Set a time limit the first few times you try it.

3. Take a couple of moments and take notice of your body. Are you sitting comfortably? Do you need to scratch your nose or adjust your position?

4. Then close your eyes (if you want to( and focus on your breath. Feel how the air flows through your body as you breathe. You can let other thoughts drift away as you only focus on your own breathing. .

5. If and when you notice that your mind has wandered to other things, gently take yourself back to just focusing on your breath.

6. Be gentle with yourself when you lose focus. It's no big deal. You can imagine your thoughts as little bubbles. If you get distracted by something, you can take a moment and look at that thought bubble before you let it drift away so you can go back to focusing on your breathing.

7. Slowly come back when you feel ready or when the timer is up. Remain where you are for a while as you take note of your body and surroundings. Take note of how you feel now. What are you thinking about now?

You can also use guided meditation or yoga nidra to help yourself get into it. There are tons of clips on youtube for this kind of meditation.

Description
This is the 15th part of my project "The Robots' Guide to Winter Depression" - an illustrated guide on how to get through the dark winter months and handle seasonal affective disorder. If you happen to speak Swedish, you'll find the original guide on my instagram: www.instagram.com/joensoderhol…

Tip number 15 - Meditation
Meditation can be a way for you to wind down, take a break from negative or intrusive thoughts and find some calm. In fact, a lot of research indicate that meditation can help reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms, along with other benefits.

Meditation is a broad topic and different kinds of meditation are part of many, many cultures and religions in the world. And I'm by no means an expert on any kind of meditation really. But here is one of the more common and simple ways of meditation you can try:

1. Sit down somewhere comfortable and quiet (it doesn't have to be completely silent, but at least calm)

2. Set a time limit the first few times you try it.

3. Take a couple of moments and take notice of your body. Are you sitting comfortably? Do you need to scratch your nose or adjust your position?

4. Then close your eyes (if you want to( and focus on your breath. Feel how the air flows through your body as you breathe. You can let other thoughts drift away as you only focus on your own breathing. .

5. If and when you notice that your mind has wandered to other things, gently take yourself back to just focusing on your breath.

6. Be gentle with yourself when you lose focus. It's no big deal. You can imagine your thoughts as little bubbles. If you get distracted by something, you can take a moment and look at that thought bubble before you let it drift away so you can go back to focusing on your breathing.

7. Slowly come back when you feel ready or when the timer is up. Remain where you are for a while as you take note of your body and surroundings. Take note of how you feel now. What are you thinking about now?

You can also use guided meditation or yoga nidra to help yourself get into it. There are tons of clips on youtube for this kind of meditation.