It is most interesting

Life is most interesting when absorbed in a task one loves. Studying recovery from extreme mental and emotional states is something I love. It is part and parcel of my ability to live a fulfilling life. I have for a long time used what I call the AUM principle to do this. "A" in Sanskrit means arising. "U" in Sanskit means sustaining. "M" in Sanskit means passing away. I a mindful of when extreme states arise, what sustains them and when they pass away. Extreme states are referred to in popular psychological jargon as things like "anxiety", "mania", "hearing voices", "depression" and so on. These labels are not the most helpful to me since they seem to fix them as unalterable in stone. When I am mindful of my daily life when these states arise, what keeps them going, when the pass on, I become aware of how changeable they are. Most helpful is being aware of HOW I AM RESPONSIBLE for the arising, the sustaining and the passing on. That is my ability to respond. Response ability. This ability is what helps me understand that "I" am intimately involved in that I experience in extreme states. What seems "objective" or an object out of my control, is actually interdependent with me in arising, keeping on, and passing. With this insight I am able to live a fulfilling life. This blog will center around life style issues of recovering from extreme states.