In the aftermath of the
election Maggie Gibbons muses on loss, acceptance and mindfulness without navel gazing
I initially wrote this
blog for https://dayinthelifemh.org.uk/, a
project which clusters together the experiences of people with mental health
difficulties during four ordinary days over a year. I wrote this for 10 May
2015, sent it to a few people and it seemed to resonate. So I’ve decided to
share it more widely, with a few tweaks. It is, I stress, a very personal take.
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| Mindfulness can help with much worse Ed |
I’m
tired after weeks of hard work. I stood as an election candidate locally and
shared others’ sense of shock, anger and bewilderment at the scale of Labour’s
defeat. Coincidentally, it’s also the day before Mental Health Awareness Week.
This year the theme is mindfulness. There’s an interesting debate going on in
Buddhist, mental health and other circles about the ‘McDonaldisation’ of
mindfulness – is it becoming detached from its origins in Buddhist teachings
and practice, sold as a panacea for wider social ills and discontents, exploited
for commercial gain, a way of keeping workers compliant? And so I have been
thinking politics, hearts and minds all day.
