Have you ever felt hungry for something but couldn’t put your finger on it? Perhaps no matter what you ate you were still un-satiated. Often we find ways to compensate for a void in an area(s) of our life with food, substances, mental dispositions or unhealthy habits. Which part of your life needs nourishment? Friendship, relationships, career, spirituality, community, sexuality, finances, health…
When I sat down to think about each area in the below chart, I noticed a hunger for deeper friendships and a sense of community – to know that I am grounded in a place and have a network of people surrounding my local area and social groups. It felt like I was bouncing around from place to place and what I really craved more than a nap and more than chocolate mousse was some grounding. I also noticed that I avoided hanging out with my friends to feel ‘more productive.’ I’d overwork so that I never had time for friends. I could see the bulk of my focus was on having/solidifying a career or worrying about it.
Change
After seeing that friendship and community needed nourishment in my life and how too much focus on another area was causing me grief, I wanted to make a change. Using evidence of small commitments leading to bigger behavior change I employed the following:
2 small and simple weekly commitments:
- Meet with a friend face to face or have a good phone call once a week.
- Volunteer 1 hour of my time in a new opportunity to be involved in within my communities (as we have several, local, cultural, alumni, religious, business).I find these non-intimidating actions have allowed me to not only to stick to but exceed them.
My mental health has improved but subtly. I’m feeling a lot more fulfilled and content on a daily basis which has helped me increase calmness and self-confidence.
In short, my friends are really cool and I’m just able to enjoy life more everyday.
Make your own components of life chart and figure out where you need nourishment.
