Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Feeling Depressed.....go fly a kite!!

Did you know that it is physiologically impossible for depressed people to fly kites?

I just watched a video by a psychologist and therapist Dr. Lynn Ianni where she says that it is almost impossible for us to look up and feel depressed at the same time.
Kite flying gets you out doors and forces you to LOOK UP. Depressed people find it hard to look up and therefore find it hard to fly kites!
Could kite flying be used to alleviate sadness?
Ever notice how depressed people walk? Their eyes are cast down, shoulders slouched and movement slow and weak. Whereas when you fly kites you have to look up, run after the kite and pull and tug at the string with the right amount of pressure and awareness. The body language of a kite flyer is exactly the opposite of a depressed person.
Often we hear the term- “Mind over Matter” implying our minds control over our body and its actions. Could our bodies be used in such a way that it could control our mind?
Our brain does not know the difference between real or fake movement. When we fake a smile, the same hormones are released that would be released when we genuinely smile, similarly when we look up, the brain understands it to be a positive movement and all the feelings associated with positivity can be felt in our body. You cannot be sad and depressed and run around and fly kites at the same time.
So the next time you are feeling down and depressed, go buy yourself a kite, find a friend or bribe a neighbors child to go kite flying with you. Go alone if you have to.
If all fails…just imagine a beautiful bright kite flying in the air and going up, above the tallest trees, reaching for the stars. Close your eyes and visualize it in the finest detail. The colour, the shape , the material, the touch. Go into as much detail as you can and now let your kite fly soaring as high as it can. Now imagine yourself chasing it, saving it from other predatory kites and sharp surfaces.
Open your eyes and try and look for that imaginary kite. Look up in the sky and am sure you will find something to smile about.

Luv/luck/happiness