Keeping it Kind

How does it feel?  There it is. That stabbing tightness in my chest that forces a sob from my throat. A throat that is painfully constricted from holding back hysteria.  What is that tightness? It’s my body registering my mind’s thoughts of escaping. It’s my body reacting to the feeling of being so trapped, so sad, so exhausted.  Tears are spilling uncontrollably and I wonder how on earth I’ve ended up here again.  I was fine earlier. I was happily preaching kindness to Twitter and following my new “routine”. I didn’t do anything to trigger this. I didn’t speak to anyone who hurt me. I wasn’t sad when I started crying even. I was watching a tv series.  There was a woman on her own, struggling to be everything to everyone and survive.  Maybe I felt empathy. Maybe, selfishly, I saw myself in her and felt self pity. But it shouldn’t have unleashed this tidal wave of despondency.  That’s the thing with Depression and Anxiety combined, sometimes how you feel is as changeable as

I have been thinking a lot about how grateful and lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life. I am rarely lonely. I have family, friends, colleagues and tweetiepies all keeping an eye on me this festive season. I won’t lie. It is this that has saved me this year. The warmth and kindness of YOU! All of you. You have reached out and made another human feel worthwhile. Thank you! So, now that I am a little stronger, I am contemplating how to stretch my usual kindness into the Christmas season.  This is a hard and lonely time of year for so many people. People who are isolated, estranged from loved ones, homeless or far from home in a strange and unfamiliar country. People who are elderly, people for whom there is a poignantly empty chair at their table, people whose Christmas will be spent in or by a hospital bed.  More than ever I feel the urge to connect. It is so important that we insure that the vulnerable are cared for. So what can we do? Here is what a little research fo

I like to think that we all start out with the intention of being kind. We want to make others happy. We desire for the world to be calm and peaceful.  But the habit of thinking and acting with clemency and kindness is a hard one to develop. We are drawn into whinges, into pointing out negatives in lives, in ideas, in others, in ourselves.  I suppose this post could be about many things: forgiving, choosing peace, letting go of grievances. But I like the idea of clemency towards ourselves and others.  Making mistakes is human. Saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing.... even believing the wrong thing. All human foibles. The world needs more mercy. I believe seeking to understand rather than seeking to judge is the greatest pathway to happiness. People are rarely cruel or unpleasant as a natural disposition. They have their reasons, journeys and baggage that can make them so.  If someone carrying a suitcase arrived at a station hot, flustered and annoyed would you: A/ ignore the s