Don’t Isolate Yourself
Becoming whole might seem like a personal journey, and in many ways it is. That doesn’t mean you need to do it all by yourself though. Doing anything by yourself can be difficult and maybe even impossible in some cases.
To really focus on yourself, you also need to focus on others. You also need to ensure there are other people focused on you and your journey to being whole.
Being isolated and lonely can even have mental and physical consequences. Research has shown that isolating and being alone for long periods of time increases your chances of obesity, heart disease, depression, and anxiety. To achieve true health and wellbeing, you need to have people on your team and you need to have people invested in you.
The Importance of Having People in Your Life
When people think of wanting to have a support team, they often think of friends and family. Everyone on your support team needs to be someone you trust and respect. While it might seem like you need to involve the family in everything, this isn’t true if you have relatives that do not uplift you and build you up. The same rule goes for friends. You only need to invite friends that are truly there for you and have your best interest in mind.
Some people also turn to their religious or spiritual groups to find support and to avoid isolation. If you are on a sports team or have coworkers that you have trust, you can also include them in your support system.
The Importance of Fellowship
Being around other people is important for all parts of health. Having friends and people you trust can make you feel less alone and give you room to grow with other people. Fellowship can also give you people in your life that can give you advice and tips. All these things are important for being whole and for being in optimal health.
Isolation can make you feel like you have no one to turn to in times of need which can cause you to make rash and poor decisions. When you are making big life choices, it’s always good to discuss them with people in your life. If you are isolated, getting help when you need it might be impossible.
Creating Boundaries
Even though you need to have a support team and people on your side, you do not have to include them in everything. You can make boundaries on what you want people to know and what you prefer to keep to yourself. Make sure the people in your support group know these boundaries and that they should never cross them.
You might also have boundaries for some people that don’t exist for others. For example, you might have some people in your life that do not support your religion or spiritual life because theirs might be different. In this case, you might not share your spiritual journey with them, but rather than just the mental and physical aspects of your journey to be whole.
Sometimes It’s Okay to Be Alone
You don’t always have to be around people though. Sometimes you need space to be alone with your thoughts and emotions. Even though you have talked through your problems with people before, you might want to still take time to think about them alone too.
The easiest way to think about is that solitude is okay, but isolation is not. Solitude just means you have chosen to spend time alone. Isolation means you have cut people out of your life or pushed people away.
Solitude is okay when it’s voluntary and when you still have positive relationships in your life that you can turn to when times get difficult. You will also have social groups to interact with when you choose. You also need to feel good about spending time alone.
Choosing to be alone and learning to be alone can be rejuvenating and refreshing. Make sure you are doing something you love during your alone time so that your mind and body begin to feel better about being alone.
Rejoin Social Groups Often
Some people can become too comfortable being alone. Being alone is great sometimes, but it’s not ideal to be alone all the time, especially for your journey to becoming whole. If you find yourself spending too much time alone, make sure to rejoin your social groups or create an event to get some friends together.
You can also create social groups around your health. For example, you can make a gym or running group make it easy to get physically fit. You can also make a spiritual group such as a weekly devotional group at your home.