Lived Experience Forum

[greenpea]

@Shaz51 I would agree after couch surfing for 2 months having a roof over my head and my children close is all I need. More money would be great but the fundementals in life are the most important things to me.

[Shaz51]

yes @Smc, I used to sit on the front steps in the late afternoon  which was soo nice , have not done that is a longggg time , need to get back to it

[Shaz51]

same here @greenpea, more money would be nice but you are RICH now my friend, you are awesome , caring and amazing to me  , look and see you have

[greenpea]

@Shaz51 Shaz51 

[Mazarita]

This is a wonderful topic, @Shaz51. When I spent about nine months visiting a buddhist centre a long time ago, contentment with 'what is' was one of the main teachings I remember. It makes so much sense to me to try for contentment, rather than the 'highs' or 'perfection'.

As someone with bipolar (tending to extremes of mood), and also a perfectionist, it's something I've had to work at and will need to continue to work at until the day I drop, I expect. But I am generally content with my life as it is, even with the ups and downs and roundabouts I experience.

The things that may contribute most to my general contentment are:

• loving other people and recognising that I am loved (sometimes without even knowing it)
• having a sense of personal purpose (creative pursuits and a sense of existing for and with others)
• having an income I can live on in a modest way (disability pension)
• a slow paced life.

I'm interested to read others responses. 

[Shaz51]

I'm interested to read others responses. -- yes me too @Mazarita 

hello @Hope4me 

[Hope4me]

Hi @Mazarita@Shaz51@greenpea@Appleblossom@Smc

Am I content with my life? Sure! When I'm in the zone. When problems or MH hits though, it's probably not a priority to think about.

I am however content with my ability to cope. It's taken a very long time to get to this point, so patting myself on the back helps with ongoing recovery.

Hope 

[Owlunar]

Hi @Shaz51

Thanks for including me in this discussion and everyone who has contributed something - great stuff

I am feeling a lot of stress lately - and last weekend I was alone and this is fine - but I asked myself if I was depressed - and got up and went outside. The sky was full of stars and there was a crescent moon and I was taken up with joy at what I see

So - for me contentment is being satisfied that at times I feel stress - and that is okay - it is part of my journey and I don't have to be happy all the time - I can sit through the hard parts and actually I am doing more than I did for a while and it's important to notice what we achieve

I can't change other people and I don't want to - I don't even try - so part of feeling easy in my own mind is allowing this attitude myself - and also - just as people can be who they are so can I - and I don't need to expose myself to contentious people - 

This is the hard time of year and what happens - life happens - and there is other stuff - but I truly believe that finding a peaceful place in my own mind about all of this is one way of achieving some degree of contentment

But - I am an achiever and I will go on working toward achievements - whatever they are and endure the discomfort stress brings to my body knowing this is part of the process

Thanks Shaz and everyone else who has had a say

Dec

[Former-Member]

- sense of belonging
- purpose
- acceptance

[Mazarita]

I get what you mean, @Hope4me, about it being easier to be content when 'in the zone'. I guess I've found myself to a better zone over all in my life. But if you'd asked me about contentment 10 or 20 years ago, there would have been a very different answer. I was always 'grass is greener' then, but my life was a lot more chaotic and difficult, so it is understandable. Life was so much more difficult then. That's the ultimate challenge really, finding contentment when things are far from what we want them to be.

I like that you are content with your ability to cope and really agree that patting ourselves on the back for things really helps lift the spirits when struggling. Emphasising strengths in ourselves and in our lives seems like a good way to go.