Finding Comfort

​We all need comfort – whether it is after a long hard day, after an anxiety attack, or on a cold and lonely day – comfort is appreciated. Of course different things bring different people comfort. When I think of comfort my immediate associations are related to soft and warm things like fuzzy blankets and pets. As I tried to come up with additional things to add to a comfort list I had trouble defining the word comfort without using the word comfort.
 
Merriam-Webster defines comfort in two ways: (1) “to give strength and hope” and (2) “to ease the grief or trouble of.”
 
I really like these definitions. It not only articulates the soothing quality of things on my comfort list, but also adds empowerment.
 
Some people are fortunate enough to be surrounded by comfort - people, places, and things. However, comfort might be harder to come by for others. In moments of distress I find that it can be more difficult to identify things that could provide comfort. So by creating a comfort list, soothing and empowering things can be at my fingertips when most needed.
 
For me, my comfort go-to’s include: tea, cute animal pictures, warm blankets, fuzzy socks, chatting with friends, music, candles, coloring, and I’ll continue adding to the list because sometimes things on the list work and sometimes things on the list don’t.

What brings you comfort?