negative thoughts – Sarah Faith

contentment

// con-tent-ment // : (n) the state of being happy or satisfied; the acceptance of things “as they are.”

full disclosure, i struggle on and off with this. i’m feeling moved to write about it, but i myself do wrestle with it.

something about the way society keeps making “more” look like it equates to “better.” something about the way i keep desiring, keep wanting, keep looking, scouting, hoping, wishing… makes it pretty hard to feel content when i can’t seem to keep my eyes from wandering everywhere else but the path in front of me.

i think i’ve also got this silly belief that “contentment” means “giving up” or “losing hope” or “get what you get and don’t throw a fit.”

but i think those definitions are sorely mistaken. that kind of contentment assumes it’s never gonna get any better than this, so you might as well get used to it. which is actually really sad.

i don’t actually want to carry around those lifeless, hopeless definitions of contentment anymore, so i’m going to ~~put~~ keep trying to put them down (and leave them there… because i seem to somehow keep picking them back up…). if you’re feeling yourself carrying anything similar, i invite you to put it down with me. i desire for us to find more mental peace, and the more we keep assuming that we have to strive in order be happy, the less of that peace i believe we’re going to find. we’re also not super likely to find peace in the thoughts that we’re “settling for less” or that we’re “damaged goods” that don’t deserve what we’re dreaming of.

truly, if we’re responsible and content with what we’ve currently got, there’s no reason we wouldn’t in the future be entrusted with more. it’s being content with what i have in the here and now that i know i’ve gotta keep working on. the ability to steward properly the things i’m currently holding in my hand. focusing on my ability to be grateful for all of this good stuff i’m to blessed to have – that’s when the blessings come. the blessings multiply. and i believe a really good first step is contentment in your present circumstances and situation.

sometimes that’s really hard, because sometimes the current stuff we’re going through is just not that pretty. it’s not fun, it’s not easy, and we’re ready to be done with this valley season. to that i say – the valleys mean peaks are on the way. the lows help us appreciate the highs, and there’s still a good amount of contentment to be found in that. even when we don’t feel like smiling. even when the “oh, it’ll be over soon…” is like, the most annoying thing someone could possibly be saying… it’s worth trying to take a second, take a breath, and find a mini moment of contentment. it will pass, and when the next person you know is going through their own personal valley, they’ll have someone to lean on who’s living proof that even the darkest of nights have a glimmer of hope at the end.

i’ll doubly admit – contentment is definitely something i’m always working towards. but. maybe by sharing this, i’ll help you feel less alone if it’s one of your battles too. and i’ll find some accountability partners along the way.

♥, SF

grace + legalism

ok, raise your hand if you’ve ever had a Tate’s cookie…? they’re this semi-recent discovery of mine, and what i’ve REALLY discovered in my adventures with Tate’s cookies is that it’s nearly impossible for me to eat just one or two. once a pack is open, it’s as good as gone.

you’re catching me right now at bed time, post tooth brushing, analyzing tonight’s snack endeavor, asking myself why i have such little self control when it comes to this particular brand and kind of cookie. but then i took it one step further and began to judge myself because i truly do try to be a person that watches what i consume, attempting to make good, informed choices. low tox, natural living, baby!! there’s just something about these dang cookies that make me throw all caution to the wind, rules in the dumpster, and devour… i mean… smash… dunked in milk, they’re an absolute delicacy.

then… as i thought further into this… i started thinking about how little grace i give myself and how downright legalistic i can be. it’s very all or nothing in this brain of mine. it’s either good or bad, but nothing in between, and if i’m being honest, i’m pretty good at picking myself apart for all the “bad” – i’m using quotations because i’m also pretty harsh when it comes to classifying and separating good from bad.

i’m “bad” for eating all seven of those cookies – but they tasted so good!! but i have no self control and how dare i ever even talk about health, wellness, or anything remotely related with habits like this.

does anyone else crack down on themselves entire too harshly, or is it just me? something moved me to write this tonight while i was brushing my teeth, so i just kind of went with it, assuming the nudge was because there was quite possibly someone that needed to hear that they weren’t alone in this internal legalistic battle.

we are together in these self critical moments, but i want us to lay off ourselves a little. i want us to not be so dang serious and legalistic about all this stuff – just eat the dang cookies and be ok with it, alright? sheesh. i mean, sure, we don’t wanna go housing packs of cookies every night, but there’s also something to be said for enjoying this life and coloring outside the lines a bit every once in a while. there’s goodness in those moments, too. a LOT of goodness. and i would hate for us to miss things that are readily right in front of us because we were too worried about perfectly adhering to some “rules” – most likely rules that we made up for ourselves!!

i didn’t do a “word of the year” this year – i’m just on a mission and i’m headed there full steam ahead. but. if i did, there would’ve likely been a whole list of words because i’m generally so indecisive. somewhere near the top of that list would have been “grace.” you’d be hard pressed to find someone that was a harsher critic on themselves than me, but dang it, i am determined to give myself some grace. i have got to loosen the necktie a bit. let the hair down. i know it might seem like i’m totally carefree and whatever – i’m here to confess to you that i truly need to give myself some more grace. grace when i’m three minutes late, grace when i eat something a bit “off brand,” grace when i don’t feel like getting ready in the morning, grace when the outfit of the day is sweats, grace when one of the kids doesn’t like the dinner i made, grace when i’m having a hard time clearly seeing the vision and i’m confused, ready to quit… just some more grace in basically every situation.

i’m gonna go ahead and assume you could use some more self-gifted grace, too. because guess what – i’m a human and so are you. and we’re gonna make mistakes. we’re here on this big blue and green rock, spinning around, semi-blindly wandering through life just like everyone else – the least we can do is make it a little easier on ourselves if at all possible.

i challenge you to letting yourself off the hook a little this week – what’s that gonna look like? and better yet, how are you gonna feel next Friday when you’ve gone a little easier on yourself for Seven. Days. Straight?!??

♥, SF

another [quarantined] thursday.

April 23, 2020 by Sarah Faith

blog posts., news

facebook live, instagram live, meaningful music, mental health, mindset, mindset work, negative thoughts, peeling back the layers, positive outlook, purpose driven, quarantine, self care, self talk

i put jeans on today (yes, you read that correctly…). i’m wearing a “real” shirt (classified as one that i wouldn’t usually sleep in, or let an animal sleep on). also, big winner here, i’m wearing makeup. imagine that! weird how this “put together” state i’m in happens rarely when i’ve got nowhere to go. does going to the kitchen for numerous snacks count…?

no, but really. i do go to the kitchen a lot….

great segue…. wanna know another place i’ve been going a lot this week? mentally down a rabbit hole. not always a negative rabbit hole…. so maybe that’s not the right word, but i’ve honestly felt like i’ve been on a roller coaster of thoughts. i wake up one day and i’m like “Wooo!!! i’m killing it!! this day is going to be great!!” and the next (sometimes the next hour… or minute), i’m like “shit. what the hell. this is awful. where is this even going? you’re not doing nearly enough.” anyone else? it’s like being on a pirate’s ship in the movies in the middle of one of those stupid storms with waves about 3x as tall as the ship you’re on, but then in the morning, some 3 hours later, having the brightest, most beautiful sunshine imaginable. that’s what this week has felt like.

if you’re with me, or you know what i’m talking about, can i get a “retweet” or a hand raised or head nod or whatever….. thank you very much!!!

*deep breath* (feel free to take one with me…) sometimes the only thing i can do in a weird moment like that is just breathe. because i know it’s just a season. a possibly one minute-long season. and in one of my conversations this week, a friend of mine told me, “you’ll only fail if you quit. and Sarah, you are so crystal clear on your purpose and your why, i know you won’t quit. so that means you won’t fail.” Ay. Freaking. Men. that’s it right there. (also, contemplating getting that tattooed some place. forehead would probably be best….thoughts…?)

that’s the truth though – i know that i’m not the only one who sometimes feels a little stuck or like things aren’t going like they should. things sometimes don’t feel like they’re “going how they should” but honestly, if you take the 30,000 foot view, everything’s just as it should be. it may mean a bit of a rainy season every now and then, but honestly, there have been some STORMS… and i mean…. tornado hurricane monsoon typhoon earthquake all at once, how am i getting out of this alive S T O R M S …. but i’m still standing. and sometimes my mind is full of overwhelm and doubt and fear and every other thing that makes me just want to cry. and then the storm passes. and the sun comes out. and i’m better for it.

just something to consider – what if we could take deep breaths and assure ourselves that sunshine is always in the forecast? maybe that would make stormy times easier to handle. *shrug* just a thought!

anyway, i’ll be using this message as fuel tonight (Thursday nights!!!) on my Instagram + Facebook LIVE “Peeling Back the Layers” Episode TWO!!!!! second week in a row, so stoked. hoping to get a few more viewers than last week, and i think it’s going to be a good time!! 8pm cdt // 9pm est. Instagram doesn’t have a live link, but Facebook does!! –> www.Facebook.com/sarahfaithmusic/live <– click there!!! see ya tonight!!

♥ SF