Creature Comforts

Daily writing prompt

What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?

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This is a relatively new concept to me . . . the idea of deliberately seeking out comfort. It came up in therapy. Turns out, it’s something good to do, and I had no idea how to go about it.

I’m learning, and let me tell you, it’s a wonderful thing.

How about you? Are you taking the time and effort to make your life more comfortable? Here are some categories of comfort to consider, with some of my personal favorites linked:

1. Physical comfort. Little things, like properly fitting shoes, can make a big difference. Maybe you need to add pillows or a footstool to the place you always sit, or move a brighter lamp close by. Is it time to replace your bed pillow or other bedding? I can’t sleep without my fuzzy socks.
2. Emotional comfort. Go ahead and binge-watch that favorite show. As it turns out, there’s science behind that urge to turn to the familiar and predictable. We’re already familiar with the science that tells us to cuddle a pet or tend to houseplants. Call a friend or meet up in person for coffee.
3. Coffee. It deserves its own category. The comfort of a cup of coffee goes beyond the caffeine: it’s the warmth of that mug cupped in your hands, the familiar smell. I experienced the comfort of coffee in the ten days spent in the hospital and hospice when my dad had a stroke. It was something tangible and easily accessible that was familiar in unfamiliar territory. People wanted to do something for me, and of course, there was so little that could be done — but bringing me a cup of coffee brought comfort to us both. You can substitute lots of things for coffee. Maybe it’s tea, or butterscotch candy, or your emotional support journal — anything that can go with you and tether you when things are spinning wildly out of control.

Comfort. It’s something that humans need, and crave. Where did we get the idea that we somehow need to stiff-upper-lip our way through life? Seek out the things, big and small, that make your life more comfortable, that bring you some measure of comfort in a too-often disconcerting world. Do it regularly, and unapologetically. We’re creatures, after all, and we deserve our comforts.