Combating Not Enoughness

We all feel at times that we are not enough, don’t have enough, maybe even that we will never be enough. These feelings can stop us in our tracks with overwhelm, or cause us to push ourselves to exhaustion trying to prove them wrong. They leave us hopeless and unsatisfied with life and stuck in comparison of the perceived life of others, a feeling heightened by social media and media in general, fueled by a capitalistic market that requires us to need more.

The perception that we don’t have enough is triggering to our nervous systems which have been programmed over our entire evolutionary history to look out for scarcity so we can eat, drink and survive through rough times. When the feeling is produced it launches us into the fight or flight response causing us to attack or run from others even though throughout time and especially in current times it may actually be more advantageous when in lack, to work with others and build communities with mutual aid.

We also have the problem of a triggered scarcity response which is not supported in reality for most of us by our actual situation in which most likely we have more than enough.

This causes us to collect, hoard, isolate, cheat, lie, gossip and act in many ways contrary to our values, as well as to unnecessarily fret and stress.

Understanding what one really has and what one really needs is a process that begins by slowing down the nervous system. It’s from this calm, open and present space that we can take stock of our qualities, assets, and resources in all their forms and consider the differences between what we need and what we desire. It doesn’t mean eradicating desire, however it does mean getting real about where each impulse lives in fact and asking ourselves hard questions about redistribution and our responsibility to others and to our planet.

This is a process which takes time and often separation from our regular environment. It is one of the reasons I put on the schedule a Women’s Realignment Retreat this fall. This three-day intensive yoga retreat is designed to switch us out of scarcity mode and realign to the abundance of nature and the resources we have when we sit in community. It’s in my most favorite place in the western Catskills, an area which has deepened my understanding of what I have and the little I need.

I hiked Bramley Mountain recently just minutes away from my home in the Catskills and was inspired to both write and to record a short talk and meditation for those working on issues of scarcity and not enoughness. Being in nature is one of the clearest ways to experience with all our senses what we have. You can enjoy my nature meditation for free here on my youtube channel. 

I hope it helps you to settle in and see all you have and to better hold space for the natural feelings that are triggered by our current rapid environments while seeing those feelings for what they really are, just energy in motion.