As autumn draws in and the storms begin to rage, we begin to draw ourselves in. To prepare for our winter hibernation period. This weekend past marked the autumn equinox a time where the sun and the moon, day and night are equal. A point in our calendar that marks clearly the entrance into the darker half of the year. Most people don’t realise that this natural phenomenon affects humans on a genetic and biological level. Not only do we feel the change in the weather, we also slow down mentally and physically. And something often unspoken is that our survival instincts turn on to alert. In days gone by survival during the winter was an uncertain and precarious thing. In Fact, it wasn’t all that long ago. It wasn’t until the 16th century that art depicting winter began to be seen. And surviving through the winter has only really been a reality within the latter end of the industrial period with the invention of electricity, major medical advancements and industrialised production and distribution of food.
Now, what has this got to do with abundance mindset I hear you ask? Bear with me, I am getting there. The point is that our survival instincts have not, as yet caught up with the extreme advancements that have made our lives easier and ultimately safer during the winter. And it is partly our survival instincts being aroused in the autumn and winter that can affect our mental health and make us more susceptible to depression and to a “poverty mindset” or a lack mindset. Basically, because we unconsciously think we are going to be in danger and not survive we begin to feel like we don’t have enough. It’s a form of panic mode. Ergo it can be harder to have an abundant mindset in the darker times than it can during the spring or summer. Especially when we are also lacking the vitamin D from the sun too.
And the irony is that having an abundance mindset during the darker times can actually be the very thing that makes those seasons easier. If you have heard of or worked with abundance mindset before, you will know that having or not having enough is not a matter of how much you actually have. It is a matter of perspective. It is a mindset. There are plenty of people in the world who have all of the luxuries possible, yet they can’t stop buying and possessing more. Oprah said
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
So if you feel like you have nothing and never have enough that’s exactly what you have. Equally, if you feel that what you have is already enough, then anything you gain in life will always be valued and appreciated, which in turn leaves you feeling abundant.
So the challenge for us during the darker parts of the year is basically to hijack our survival instincts that are trying to tell us we don’t have enough by practicing an abundant mindset. Which in turn will bring light into your darkness and more beauty into the colder, harsher times. Just follow this step by step guide to forming an abundance mindset and set yourself up for a beautiful autumn and a content winter.
Focus on the good rather than on the bad
Now I know this can be a challenge. However, when you really look at it in any situation there is really a silver lining. My diabetes started only 10 years ago. Not exactly something I wanted in my life. However, the silver lining was that I began to take of myself and view my life even more as a precious gift. Looking for the good and focusing on that is like turning on a light switch in the darkness. The more you look the more you find.
Appreciate what you already have
No matter what is going on around us there are always little things that we can be grateful for. Even if it is your morning coffee, the seat on the bus after a long days work or the happy greeting you get from your pet. Life is made of small beautiful moments which we often fail to notice. By practicing gratitude on a daily basis you cannot help but see how rich your life is in the simple moments that make life wonderful.
Give more of what you want
As I write this I am sitting on a train sharing a booth with two strangers. Now I had in my bag three sweets. I took them out intending to eat them all myself (and then of course take some insulin). However, I noticed that one of the ladies looked at the sweets. And I thought to myself maybe she would like one too. So without speaking to them (it’s a quiet zone) I shared my sweets. They both smiled and that was my reward. A feel-good moment on an otherwise grey and miserable day. I would love a stranger to offer me a sweet on a long haul journey and who knows maybe one day they will. Like attracts like. So, if you treat the world the way you want to be treated sure enough the world will start to treat you that way.
Enjoy whatever you’re doing for the true purpose of enjoyment
When we depend on our outside world (such as other people and things) to fulfill us and make us feel a certain way, good or bad, we become very attached to how this outside world “behaves.” The challenge with this is that when we cling to something so much, we lose the ability to enjoy it. We get overtaken by expectations of how something needs to be in order for us to be happy. So even an enjoyable act as posting a happy picture on facebook becomes joyless when your happiness is dependent on the reactions of others and the likes that picture gets. Can you see how this dependency makes it difficult to enjoy the day to day processes of your life? Make sure you check in with yourself when you don’t feel happy about something you are doing and ask- Am I doing this for the purpose of enjoyment or am do I want this activity or thing make me feel and seem better than I do right now? If you are not doing it for enjoyment then stop doing it.
Affirm your abundance daily
Around my home I have small hearts in strategic places. People often assume that this is from me to Mr T or visa versa. However as lovely as that would be, they are not. These hearts remind me everytime I see them that “Life love me and I am blessed”. A practice from Louise Hay’s book Life loves you. It always generates a feeling of satisfaction and contentment when the words pop up into my mind. Try it and see for yourself.
Celebrate moments
As I said earlier life is made beautiful by small moments. But how often do we celebrate them ? Taking the effort to make a small moment seem even more beautiful enriches your life. Small acts such as lighting candles while you watch tv or laying the table nicely even when eating alone will make you feel abundant in your life.
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If you don’t look for the abundance in your life you will never feel it. As Wayne Dyer said “Abundance is not something we acquire, it is something we tune in to” Take some time to tune into your own abundance this autumn, enrich your journey and you will find your life is full of beautiful moments that will warm you no matter how dark it is outside
Have a wonderful week <3