As I write this sentence I can only think about the app attached to this website and how contradicting this title can read. At the same time, I truly feel it is a must to get this message out so people can gain a better understanding of who they truly are and how far they've come. See isolation can be used in a couple of different ways, for instance, it can be used as a torture tactic to get information out of someone. Or as a way of working on a big new project or paper with little distractions. Yet, today I have realized that it can be used to alleviate stress and help us appreciate where we have come from. When utilized in the right manner isolation ALONE can be very beneficial to our well-being mentally.
Before I get into that I would like to emphasize that isolation has to be utilized correctly. Meaning short spurts of isolation is great, but DO NOT close yourself off from the world. Doing this could lead to a plethora of other issues that could potentially put you in a backspin from all the success you have made in your mental health journey. Now back to the good stuff...
Peace...
I think we can all agree that there are over 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 ways to be distracted in the world today. From cell phones, mandatory social gatherings, even our family and friends! There is always something taking away our attention from what's most important, ourselves! I recently learned how easy it is to get so lost in the sauce of everyday happenings that you no longer enjoy being you. You can't sit and watch a movie without your phone buzzing. Or you can't eat dinner without having your neighbor coming over asking for a cup of sugar (Do people still do this?). Or even little Timmy getting in a fistfight with little Jimmy at school ruining you and his dad's top golf adventures because little Jimmy whooped your son's butt. Yep, bragging rights are another distraction I went there. So, Dr.Richardson (Hmm sounds good actually... back to school I go) if you know these issues persist then how do I get around them?
My recommendation, isolate! Take a certain time out of the day or an entire day and eliminate all distractions. Make sure the kids and your spouse are well, and turn the phone off. Turn the computer off! Turn the TV off! And lock yourself away in the deepest darkest hole you can find or go into nature. I take a pen and paper in this hole and I'll get to why on that later. The first time you do this you will be super anxious, I can promise you that for 2 reasons; 1.) This is new for a lot of us and we're not used to our brains not running a million miles a minute worrying about if you can pull off the new Tik Tok craze. 2.) We've become a worrisome society where everything on the media is bad and trying to hurt us or our families! Leading us to always be in a constant state of fight or flight mode for the majority of the day.
"The fight or flight response is a physiological response to a stimulus which our bodies consider dangerous or life-threatening. This response—also called the acute stress response—is familiar to most people as the intense feeling of anxiety, shaking, and fear that can occur when our bodies prepare for a possible emergency. -Verywellmind.com"
How to let a day go?
Yes, when I first considered trying isolation I felt all of those emotions that I typed above. Worrying what would happen if I disconnected and missed an important call or message. However, in my current state, I am not that important so the odds were a lot higher in my head than they were in real life. Now for you, that are an important piece to a puzzle I would recommend letting a few people know what's going on so they can be aware. I'm more of the Casper option, poof, and gone! My daughter is the only one that knows when these sabbaticals happen.
Popping the isolation cherry!
As the saying stands, there is nothing like having your first time... For me this DAY of isolation was amazing. See I'm a super spiritual guy that enjoys being guided by the angels, my ancestors, Jesus, GOD, and YAH. So, I went into my first time slaying and praying. At first, I felt sort of lazy... Once again, thinking of there's always something I could be doing or something is happening that I need to know about. Then all of a sudden, I felt this surreal peace come about me. Like the air became clear and I had an open mind. I felt my childhood mind come back into play and begin thinking of all types of concepts and ideas. Solutions for problems I was facing or ones I wanted to see resolved. My mind and body were FREE at last! This is why I now take a pencil and paper with me to these sessions because I tend to forget some of my greatest thoughts at times.
I have to imagine this was getting as close to Nirvana as I have ever been. I began to realize that not everything is a big deal and things come and go. That issues that seemed like they needed reaction to didn't even need acknowledgment at all. That letting go 99% of the time is the best route to pursue in most cases. Before I knew it, it was dark outside and I felt GOOD! I felt re-energized! After thanking the highest for this experience all I could say was, boy, did I need that!
PS: Yes, there were a couple of naps throughout that time because my body was truly relaxed.
Self Love
On top of all the ideas and solutions that came from my isolation, I also gained a new understanding of who I actually am and how far I've come. I realized that I had grown to become a whole new man, rather the world wanted to acknowledge it or not, I was better! My thoughts were a lot more mature and precise. I was living on my own and not asking for any assistance. I'm a great father compared to what I was thinking. How even though a certain player let my fantasy football team down this season I still had a dope ass roster and still won it! At the end of it all, I am a great man that expects great things from my family and friends and that's OK! Forget what the Jones think of me just because I choose to drive an old school and not a Tesla like them. Or my kid's friends that say I'm trash at FORTNITE and my dance moves are outdated (Sorta still hurts)... At the end of the day, as a famous sailor once said... I am, who I am!
Conclusion
Once again, rather it's a couple of hours of the day or an entire day, I can't stress how important isolation is. I've gotten to a point in my isolation moments I even put myself on a word count for that day because I want complete peace in my mind and spirit. Be brave my people and take back your life. This is one way to do it. Detaching from the world and finding yourself again. Below I have attached a couple of other articles for you all to check out that has a little bit more science attached to them for in-depth thinkers. Thanks for reading and as always Thank you God for making me who I am!
Peace, Love, and pickle juice my folks!
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/the-virtues-of-isolation/521100/