OPINION: Tiny wonders helped me through depression. They're making lockdown bearable for Melburnians
Something interesting happened to me the second time I clawed myself out of an all-consuming major depression 10 years ago: I was struck by awe almost every day.
Plants appeared more vibrant in colour. I noticed tiny birds and tracked them as they flew to their mother. The gentle breeze I'd so often taken for granted was a balm I breathed in deeply. Although Armadale local Ella Loeffler is "starting to feel tired in the drabness of the city", she uses her allotted hour of exercise to wander around her neighbourhood in search of tiny treasures.
The pandemic, then, might have forced on us lifestyle changes much like poor mental health, chronic illness and disability can. In fact, so much of living in "these times" reminds me of what it's like to live through a rough depressive episode. It hurts. And I've never really found a way around that. But awe helps. Noticing beauty and being present with the ordinary helps.
"Recently when checking the letterbox, I heard some very shouty birds in the jacaranda tree," she says. "I looked up and they were shouting at a Boobook owl! It was such a thrilling moment to see an owl in the Inner North.
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