The Road to Contentment!

When I think of Contentment what comes to my mind is.....
"Being happy with what you have, feeling at home (heart centred), right where you are."
I asked a friend and loved her answer..... 
”Its the space between disappointment and expectation.” 
My 15 yo daughters response was...... ”Feeling good and complete.” 

Our perception can make all the difference in the direction we go towards contentment and ultimately how long we stay. These are the thoughts and questions that contentment has provoked within me…

• Why isn’t contentment something we are always in? Or is it? 
• Maybe contentment comes in waves or possibly works into certain areas of our lives better then others. Like being really content in our work but not so much in our relationships.
• Do we have big expectations around the need to feel content? 
• Contentment can feel like the reward we get for the work we do when we feel we have achieved what we have wanted to or when we have arrived at a place that was so much better then expected.
• Contentment can also be felt while doing the work towards the goal because it feels good to be heading in the direction we are.
• Contentment feels like it would show up more when we are being authentic.
• When I read the above quote from Elizabeth Gilbert, I thought yes how often do we give Contentment a chance to show up. How do we create the space to allow that?

There are several things that can block our dance with contentment for example the bombardment of the constant stream of information. We receive so many mixed messages on a daily basis, which can come from our social media, family beliefs, learned behaviour and what we read and see. We are led to believe we need fixing, always trying to change how we look or how we are supposed to feel, thinking we need so much stuff to feel complete. However when we don't achieve the results we expected we are left feeling like we have failed in some way.

My suggestion if thats the case for you, is to be willing to create some space.  This is where you detach and disconnect from the busyness, stress, over thinking and overwhelm.  Its a big ask I know, but just being willing is a great start and then when you are ready to take action, here’s some simple tools to try. Try one or try all to find out what works best for you

Earthing - Getting outside and connecting with the earth is the greatest way to balance the body, mind and spirit. Even if you are doing it already do it with intention. Barefoot on the grass, dirt or sand at least twice a week for 30-60 minutes, if that seems just impossible start where you can and go from there. If you need to distract yourself take a real book to read or a journal to write in.

Journaling - You know those crazy ruminating thoughts that just don’t stop? Get them out by putting pen to paper the old fashioned way. There is something so freeing and healing from writing.  We may be worried about what happened today or what we didn’t get done and all the things on the mental lists for tomorrow or next week. We start to forget things and miss appointments. Before you go to bed write out your lists take a minute to prioritise and get a good nights sleep.

Sleep - If you are dreaming you are getting good quality NREM sleep, which is essential for healing and replenishing the body for the day to come. So disconnect from devices at least an hour before you go to bed and get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Meditation - Just 10 minutes a day has amazing benefits. Ten minutes of conscious breathing with eyes closed, feet flat on the ground and a straight spine is a great start. You will not empty your mind especially if you are new to meditation. When the thoughts come, acknowledge them and then let them go, bringing your attention back to the breath in and out. Let go of expectations and judgement. Mind wanders, acknowledge, back to the breath. Easy. Once you get the 10 minutes down, aim for morning and night and then start to work towards 20 minutes.

Healing - Lastly don't be afraid to seek out help from a practitioner of sorts. Energy healing, body work, counselling. Whatever it is that may peak your interest go there, trust, because a helping hand is a powerful way to keep you on track and connected with the wonderful tools you learn along the way.

When space is created there is room to dream, to hope, to receive inspiration, even clarity on the next step. Maybe then we can have a sense of achievement without the pressure of unrealistic expectations from others and ourselves. Imagine how freeing to live your life on your terms, thats when Contentment shows up and you have your template for more of the same. 

Ahh the serenity!