CULTIVATING

CULTIVATING CONTENTMENT The Spiritual Discipline of Evoking Joy

by Marlaina Donato

Our four-legged friends—from better for a brief period of time. Tending pampered pooch to stray cat— to our own happiness begins by seeing joy have the inborn ability to seize not as a mood dependent upon circumthe moment. No matter what chaotic stances, but as a spiritual discipline like circumstances may swirl around them, any other. Emotional well-being is a they have a knee-jerk response to spring garden we must weed and water daily, and into playful action or curl up in a patch of in turn, our physical health can’t help but inviting sunlight. be well-nourished by the harvest. Studies As humans, we tend to postpone through the years have shown that certain the smallest of joys and avoid emotional sites and organs in the body, including the self-care, opting for that extra glass of thymus, immune cells and bone marrow, wine or spending more than usual to feel have receptors for neurotransmitters like serotonin, which could explain why cultivating contentment might boost our natural defenses. Seasoned yogis and meditators oft en speak of an inner wellspring of joy that can be accessed through a committed practice. Perhaps joy is less of a mood and more of a frequency that is accessible to all of us when we’re willing to align with its bandwidth. Making it a habit to step outside for 10 minutes to witness a sunset or greet the twilight while dinner cooks can be a beautiful way to advance felicity. Taking fi ve-minute joy breaks during the workday to listen to a favorite piece of music with earbuds, read a few pages of an inspiring book or notice the clouds is another easy way to tend to happiness. Filling a “joy jar” with lovely memories written on scraps of colorful paper can prompt a spontaneous smile any time of day. Taking a half-hour drive on a pretty back road instead of scrolling through social media can reset depleted emotional reserves. Today, we can shift our thinking and see contentment as a precious, deserving loved one that needs nourishment like any other. Feeding joy in our lives can pave the daily humdrum road with jewels. In the end, perhaps fostering inner happiness by example is the greatest legacy we can leave behind.

Marlaina Donato is the author of Spiritual Famine in the Age of Plenty: Baby Steps to Bliss. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

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Deborah J. Post on The Key to Maintaining and Protecting Health by Lisa Marlene

Deborah J. Post, an advanced registered nurse practitioner and owner of Wellbridges, in Bonita Springs, wholeheartedly believes that individuality is the key to maintaining and protecting health and experiencing life’s joy. “My approach to healthcare is strictly individualized. I spend all the time needed to organize all the pieces and history that Deborah J. Post an individual brings to me,” says Post, who enjoys helping people understand how and why their health problems began, as well as off ering solutions that bring about the best possible outcomes. “Th e U.S. healthcare system has spent billions of dollars reducing individuality to collective ‘normal limit’ statistics, which insurance providers insist on healthcare professionals applying to all patients regardless of their individual circumstances. Health care based on insurance coverage dictates the time that I or any other medical professional can spend with a patient for evaluating and consulting with them as a ‘whole person’ and not just a disease,” advises Post, who uses traditional and integrative medicine to create the path to the best solutions, rather than just managing pathology. Post trained at the Institute for Functional Medicine, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and with the Age Management Medicine Group. “Th e kind of medicine I’ve trained in since becoming an ARNP is the kind of personalized medicine that I visualized in my younger days,” she states. “It wasn’t available in 1984 when I graduated from Boston University’s nurse practitioner degree program.” Post began her work in functional medicine with Dr. David Perlmutter’s offi ce, in Naples. She practiced there for six years before opening the Wellbridges Health Center, where she creates solutions to health problems that are unavailable in more conventional medical services, noting, “Radical recovery from chronic and debilitating conditions requires time and education, support and caring, and these are my major focus with all clients. Working individually with clients, we educate and explore diet/nutrition, evaluating food reactions, fi xing the gut, optimizing nutrient status, balancing hormones, supporting energy metabolism, enhancing detoxifi cation, supporting health in body and mind, and looking for hidden infections.”

Location: 9200 Bonita Beach Rd., Ste. 213, Bonita Springs. For more information or an appointment, call 239-231-8354 or visit Wellbridges.com. See ad, page 21.