The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit - Arin Murphy-Hiscock 2018

The Struggle of Depression
Mental and Emotional Self-Care

When you’re depressed, pushing yourself to do things can actually be detrimental. If you’d sprained an ankle running, you wouldn’t keep running on it, right? You’d take time to heal first, then start doing physical therapy to strengthen it again, and reintroduce activity little by little. A sprained ankle isn’t a failure; it’s a temporary setback.

Think the same way for depression. A depressive episode (or nonchronic depression, associated with stress) is a sign that you need to rest and heal. Depression is not a sign of failure in any sense of the word. It affects how your life goes, and you need to roll with that idea until you’ve healed.

It’s also important to remember that progress in any part of your life isn’t always measured by moving visibly closer to a goal. Sometimes it’s defined as pausing so that you can care for yourself, or pausing to take a side quest to prepare for better success on the main path further along. Accepting that a pause may be necessary to take care of yourself as an investment in later success is an important aspect of self-care, magical and otherwise. It’s especially important if you’re struggling with depression.

If you suspect that you are suffering from clinical depression, don’t minimize it; please go speak to a health-care professional. Depression is a sign from your body and spirit that they need help.

Spell to Embrace Depression

Embracing doesn’t mean permanent acceptance. It means understanding that depression is a sign that you need to attend to yourself, to be extra gentle, to care for yourself. It is an essential step on the way to dealing with it and hopefully moving past it. If you know you are depressed or have been diagnosed with depression, use this spell to accept the diagnosis and remind yourself that you are worthy of love.

What You Need:

♦ White or gold candle in candleholder

♦ Matches or lighter

♦ White rose

♦ Vase with water

♦ Rose quartz stone

What to Do:

1. Cleanse your supplies according to your preferred method (see Chapter 1).

2. Center and ground.

3. Light the candle, saying, “The light of my light shines in the darkness, always.”

4. Pick up the rose and hold the flower to your cheek. Close your eyes and breathe in the scent. Feel the delicacy of the petals.

5. Say:

Delicate does not mean weak. I am worthy of love and care, Both from myself and others.

I am fragile but not broken.

I recognize that my limits have been redrawn, and accept that I must heal.

6. Place the rose in the vase and place the vase next to the candle.

7. Pick up the rose quartz and brush it gently against the petals of the white rose. Then bring it to your forehead and gently brush it against your skin. Lower it to your chest and hold it against your heart.

8. Say:

Wounded, not dead; weak, not broken.

With love and care I will heal and be stronger than before.

My future is full of love and light.

9. Place the rose quartz at the base of the candle next to the vase with the rose. Allow the candle to burn out. Carry the rose quartz with you.

Tip:

♦ When the rose begins to wilt, pull the petals off gently and use them in Making Magical Rose Beads (see Chapter 4).