When I was ten years old, my family moved from the place that had been my home as long as I could remember to another province. I do not think that any of us wanted to move but it was a necessity for my dad’s job, so we did. During that summer, my dad spent time teaching me about blooming where I was planted. That we could not always choose our circumstances, but we could choose our attitude and even thrive in difficult situations.
Although this year has not included a move, it has been filled with adjustments, sadness, and the strong desire for the circumstances to change. I did not do well with the changes when they were presented but I got onboard with all of them to keep those around me safe. Right now, I have mask acne, I cannot remember the last time I was in a store and I miss my family and friends I have not seen in person. These things along with others could really bring me down if I let them. And there are times when I take a moment to grieve the disappointments and feel the sadness. But there is another side to it. The one where we can be content in all circumstances.
You might be wondering with all the awful things happening, how can one still be content? It starts with looking at life as a whole. We are trained to look for things that are broken or wrong to be able to improve upon them. That can create a narrow viewpoint on life where the only things that are acknowledged are the negative things going on. Instead of noting everything from the horrid to the ok to the great, we focus in on just the pain points in our life. This creates an illusion that everything is bad or that life sucks. Being able to note that there are somethings in life that are ok, some that are meh, some that are painful and some that are great will result in feeling safe which builds contentment.
Looking at life as a whole is also being able to look at the timeline of life. I believe in being present in the moment and not pulling problems from the future or regrets out of the past. There is a time for stepping back and looking at the past achievements which gains hope for the future. This means that for most of us we have pain points in our past that we survived and sometimes even thrived because of them. Based on the evidence from our past, we remind ourselves that this too is just a season, it is for a limited time, and we can survive it. Sometimes it is being more specific and reminding ourselves of our specific strengths and skills we have developed that will help us through our present circumstance. When we remember our achievements, acknowledge our own strengths, and look at life as a timeline it will grow contentment within us.
There are times that we get stuck in our negativity which then starts to cycle on itself and causes low moods, anxiety, and sometimes panic attacks. In those times we need help to be able to break the cycle and find hope. If you have found yourself disappointed in life and have not experienced contentment or happiness lately, it is time to reach out. We are here to help you find hope and experience peace.
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