Contentment...

Here we are in November already?! It’s been a typically dark, dismal, dreary November day.  Leading up today, I have also felt dark, dismal and dreary, but today has seen a turnaround.  The seasonal challenge of overly dark days has really affected me in the past few weeks, especially since the hour change.  The curtain of darkness has pulled me down in all sorts of ways.  Over the years, I have created a well stocked 'toolkit', which I use to balance out the impact of SAD (Seasonal Adjusted Disorder). However, this year, with the additional challenges of the pandemic, those strategies have not quite kept the side effects of SAD at bay.  It came to a head this week, leaving me feeling that every part of my life was unsettled and I found myself focusing on the negatives, rather than the positives.

What did I do to address this slump?

1. Shared that I wasn’t in a good place with a couple of close family members.
2. Randomly chose a 16 Guidelines card.
3. Took part in the EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Guild Gathering
4. Took Sandy for a walk.
5. Switched on my SAD light and lit a few candles!

What happened?

1. Sharing how I was feeling, gave me a huge sense of relief (it's always good to talk).
2. Pulling ‘Contentment’, as my 16 Guidelines card, gave the additional perspective I needed. I felt myself ‘coming back’.  I have shared more about ‘Contentment’ below. Please take time to read it, as it might be helpful for you too.
3. Different members of my family were in contact over the weekend.  Not sure if the jungle drums had been beating between them, or if it was a coincidence? Either way, it was much appreciated, and I have ended the weekend full of renewed energy and optimism. The discussion, bags of groceries and receptive, listening ears, reminded me of the many positives that are currently present in my life.  
4. Taking part in the EFT Guild gathering was the perfect opportunity to dissolve the darkness and dreariness, in all areas of my life. We also held a session on healing divisions in societies and countries across the world. This was a particularly powerful session.  I am so grateful to be part of the EFT community.
5. Throughout the day, I received feedback from people who resonated with the posts on social media, linked to how I had been feeling.  My sharing had helped them too and reminded them of strategies that they also find useful.  We're all in this together! 

 
16 Guidelines: 'Contentment - The art of being satisfied with who we are and what we have.

Contentment has the potential to:

• develop the ability to enjoy what we already have, instead of being relentlessly driven by desire physical health
• help us find peace and happiness in our everyday life and relationships
• slow down the cycle of living faster, consuming more, and destroying the environment

A 16 Guidelines view on contentment
Contentment is a state of mind that has nothing to do with money, objects, or other people. Nor does it concern itself with how much we have, or how little. Instead, it’s about finding a point of stillness within ourselves which allows us to be quietly happy whatever our situation might be, and to be at peace with who we are.

How do we experience contentment? It can be as easy – and yet as radical – as taking a breath in, and deciding to release everything that makes us feel anxious and dissatisfied as we breathe out. Try settling deeply and quietly in a traffic jam, in the middle of an argument, or when tears are close. Let the commotion of the world simply come to rest. Is it possible to taste the experience of surrender and release?

Unless we learn to live in the moment, and to accept it as it is, we may never function well or feel fully alive. Contentment releases us from the restless desires that drive us blindly forward, and which prevent us from being open to the needs and gifts of others. It frees us up to direct our energy in fresh and more conscious ways. Can we discover how to enjoy contentment despite the hurry and worry of our contemporary existence?