Comfort

Each night before bed, I’ve been trying to read a little bit of ‘The Comfort Book’ by Matt Haig. I’ve had this book for a couple of years but never really sat down to read it. I don’t know if I was waiting for another tragedy to occur or for a panic attack to ensue but I realized comfort stories are good at any point in life.

I wanted to share some of the takeaways I’ve highlighted thus far in my reading. I hope they bring comfort in some way to you all as they did me.

Number 1: ‘If we keep going in a straight line, we’ll get out of here.’

This doesn’t just mean when you’re lost in a jungle and don’t know which way is up. Walking forward with one foot in front of the other will get you further than running around in circles. Sometimes I feel like my life is one big carousel - round and round I go making the same mistakes over and over again.

Number 2: It’s okay to let people find you. You don’t have to spread yourself so thin you become invisible. You don’t have to always be the one reaching out. Allow yourself to be reached.

I often feel like I’m always the one doing the planning and reaching out to people. It makes me feel like I’m chasing them or trying too hard. Consider this analogy from Anne Lamott; Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island for boats to save; they just stand there shining.

Number 3: Depression lies. The feelings themselves can be real but what they lead you to believe is absolutely not! Time disproves the lies depression tells.

This doesn’t mean that given enough time, all mental health issues will just disappear but it does mean that our attitudes and approaches to our mind change. Always remember; the bottom of the valley never has the clearest view.

Number 4: Words are important. Words can hurt. Words can heal. Words can comfort.

I definitely have been victim to hurtful words as I’m sure we all have at some point in our lives; but I’ve also been on the receiving end of healing and comforting words. However, this takeaway is very important I feel. Not only because I’m a reader and a writer and love words but because I don’t think that the world puts as much thought and effort into the words we use as we did in the past. The words you say and the way you say them could make all the difference in someone’s life.

Never hold your words back though. Silence is pain. Maya Angelou once said; ‘there is no greater agony that bearing an untold story inside you’ and I felt that. Writing has been my outlet for the last few years. Without it, I’d hold everything in and go even crazier than I already am!

Number 5: Hope isn’t the same thing as happiness. You don’t need to be happy to be hopeful. True - I feel I’m often more hopeful when I’m in the low moments of life. Instead, what we need to do is accept the unknowability of the future and that there could be versions of the future that are better than the present. Hope is simply the acceptance of possibility.

Again, I pray that these things can bring comfort to some of you reading it. I would love to share more as I get further along on the book as well! Have a fantastic week!