Community and Resilience

(spoken by Nimue, scribed by James)

People who suffer from depression tend to also experience loneliness, alienation and feelings of disconnection. For me, this sued to include a terrible hollowness as well. At this point, I feel that depression is an absence of essential body chemistry. Something biological is absent when we get in that state. I’ve noticed this year what a huge difference warmth and kindness make to me at a bodily level.

It would be fair to say that this year has been the toughest I’ve ever experienced. However, it’s not been the worst one for depression, and the difference has everything to do with warmth and support. I feel kindness in my body as a sense of wholeness and comfort. It works, no matter how grim things get. Resilience is something we can make together, I have no doubt about it. We’ve evolved to be communal creatures so it makes sense that our wellbeing is informed by our relationships.

I’ve taken to adding attention to kindness to my regular gratitude practice. I make a point of reflecting on the kindness shown me, and I find that revisiting it also has a bodily impact. Kindness doesn’t have to be dramatic. The small everyday acts of care get a lot done. We can insulate each other from life’s trials through these small things. A warm word, or a friendly gesture makes a lot of odds. Recent experiences have confirmed for me how important kindness is as part of my Druidry.

That said, I believe in social contracts, so there are limits. I don’t respond kindly to active cruelty, nor do I think anyone should. Communal resilience is about looking after each other, not taking advantage of each other.