“What Are The Essentials for a Contented Life?

I’ve been a counselor for 32 years, and these are the things I’ve observed in the lives of those who are content.

1. Routine. We’re creatures of habit. We thrive on knowing what’s coming next.

2. Social connection. Human beings aren’t meant to live in isolation. If clinical connections have been problematic for you, i.e. you find it hard to trust others, therapy can help you figure out your patterns of attraction to people who take advantage of you.

3. Sleep. The right amount of sleep varies from person to person, but most people need 7-9 hours. Sleep hygiene is a good thing to search up to find the key to good sleep practices.

I have a set order in which I do my bedtime routine every night, and I rarely have trouble sleeping.

4. Exercise. I myself have struggled with depression and I found that a good exercise session made me feel “normal” for a few hours even when I was still depressed. Experts aren’t sure why it works, but it does.

5. Spiritual practices. I believe we’re hard wired. with an innate need to believe in God and have fellowship with Him.

6. Self-reflection. The ability to be introspective and know our own motives and needs is important. Unfortunately, this doesn’t come naturally to humans. Therapy can help.

7. New learning and growth. We are happiest when we are learning something new sand challenging ourselves to grow.

8. Sense of purpose. Each of us needs to be needed. To have a reason we wake up each day.

9. Nurturance. This is closely related to connection with others, but can also include nurturing a pet or your houseplants. We be to be helping something or someone else grow.

10. True peace. We cannot be emotionally healthy if we go-go-go constantly and never just chill and be.

If you’re having trouble practicing any of these 10 essentials, therapy can help you get on the right track. 😊

If you feel strongly something else should be on this list, please feel free to reach out to me, and I will add it. 😉