What Sustains You?

In tricky, difficult, stagnant, wild times in life, what balances and sustains you?  Some people exercise; others turn to religion.  Many reach out to trusted friends and family.  Still, other people go inward, withdraw to themselves or to their spirituality to sustain them. We hear a lot about ‘sustainability.’  A typical definition of ‘sustainability’ is, “…the balance between the environment, equity, and economy” (https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/what-is-sustainability).  What’s missing from this definition is the human aspect.  To sustain is to, “strengthen or support physically or mentally” (www.oed.com).  When we are strengthened and supported physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we are in organic alignment with the environment, with goodness, with resources in life.

If you don’t know what sustains you, you’re probably chronically unhappy, crabby, lost, jaded, in need of sustenance or more of what strengthens you. For me, I am sustained and renewed by travel, spiritual connection, learning, freedom to do what I desire, communing with trusted friends and family, writing, working out/being strong, spending time in nature and with animals, listening to music.  All these treats are equally sustaining.  I know when I get out of sorts, it’s because I’m not giving myself enough of what feeds, nourishes, sustains me.  Ignoring what sustains me stops my forward motion and my growth/development.  I also need to reduce what drains me because ‘drain’ is the antithesis of ‘sustain.’ If I go too long being drained and not being sustained, I usually get sick.

What sustains you? What happens when you don’t get enough of what comforts you, supports you, delights you? What do you do to get more of what strengthens you? How do you reduce what drains you? Please share your thoughts and insights by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

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