I have been contemplating mental well-being and wishing there was a formula like washing one’s hair, you know, rinse, lather, and repeat.
I used to have severe bouts of depression followed by spurts of melancholy.
No longer, and I think my formula is universal and can be applied to all. It is simple, not necessarily easy, but could also be summarized as rinse, lather, and repeat.
The rinsing is akin to sitting in meditation/quiet and figuring out your intention(s).
The lather is the juice/soap which enables the intention to come into fruition and become a reality.
This process gets repeated per intention.
Practically speaking let’s say my intention is to have peaceful interactions with my ex-wife/co-parent. I might write that as an intention and also be in prayer and meditation.
Often my meditations are brief, I use an app through my Apple Watch called “Breathe”. You can control the length of time it is set for. I have it set for one minute, the minimum. You focus on your breath for a short time period and follow the prompts to inhale and exhale. At the conclusion you get a message that says “well done”. You can do it multiple times a day. Another message states that even breathing once a day relieves stress.
I also incorporate readings into my daily spiritual practices. Brief inspirational passages.
And of course there are other rituals like mindful eating, drinking water, exercising and creating energetic vibrations and surrounding yourself with like minded folk.
The practices are the lather.
Rinse, lather, repeat. Here’s to good physical and mental well-being.
And so it is.