Technology, in our time, has made it easier than ever to stay connected… with friends, family, and what is going on in the world around us. So much so, that you don’t even need to leave your house! There are more resources than you could possibly ever need… But when was the last time you sat down with friends and talked? Sat down, in person, and talked? (face time and snap chat do not count!)
When we are children and even young adults, our friends are our whole world. You do everything together, share your hopes and dreams, fears, and explore your world. As adults, most of the time, those friendships get pushed aside… And for good reason. Your relationship with your spouse becomes your number one priority, you have children of your own to take care of, and our lives are busy. That’s just the way it is. If you work, you probably have a network of people who you communicate with on a daily basis and it can satisfy that need for human contact. But if you don’t work, it can be a challenge to feed that need for connection with the rest of the world. It doesn’t take much, but you have to have something. Lack of connection affects your mood, your attitude and your overall well-being. Let me give you an example…..
Last week…. we’ll call it Hell Week, just for fun. It’s the beginning of spring, every body is excited for the warmer weather, to get outside for some fresh air, super pumped to plan our first hiking adventure, and….. my entire family is sick! Kids are home from school, nobody leaves the house, and we are miserable!
The first few days are fine. We are cuddling, spending some extra time together, and I’m trying my hardest to love them back to healthy. And I really enjoy being with my family…. But let’s be real. There is only so much laying on the couch watching Frozen and Pokemon that one person can take 🙂 Because then, you start irritating each other, then that leads to annoying, which quickly becomes fighting, and then, we all just want to be alone…. Being alone makes you feel worse. So then you are grumpy and depressed. Now you don’t even want to leave the house. You want to curl up in bed and never get up. Which you can’t do…. so then you feel trapped.
If you are like me…. this is not a place that you like to be in and most likely aren’t in very often. But there you are.
So…. Saturday rolls around, and the last thing that I want to do is get out of bed. Seriously. But it is my birthday, we have things planned, and I am hating myself for feeling crappy. So I get out of bed, shower, try to shake off the funk of the week, and get myself moving. I go out to a wonderful b-day breakfast with my husband… Connection.
We meet up with my old work friends and do a 4 mile walk for Cystic Fibrosis……. connection. My mom takes me to the salon and we get our hair done…. connection. Dinner with my family….. connection. All day Sunday, OUTSIDE with my family….. connection. Monday, kids back in school and it’s a homework day for me, but it’s sunny and productive (I’ll take it)…. connection. Yesterday, I volunteer at my son’s school…. connection. Then I’m treated to lunch by my friends I haven’t seen in 9 months and get an overload of catching up, gossip, and girl talk…… connection. Today… I feel like a brand new person. Every one of those connections was like a ray of sunshine. I feel revitalized, rejuvenated, and once again, a part of the world I live in.
Nothing is more important than being present and involved in your own life. Sometimes, the darker the clouds and the deeper the funk, the harder it is to encourage yourself to step up, but that is when you need it the most!! Grab your spouse, a friend, sister, co-worker, or cousin.. and go get a coffee or have lunch. You will probably feel much better and I am guessing, so will they. If you find yourself suffering from a deficient connection regularly…. Find something to do on a weekly basis. Go to church, join a book club, volunteer in your community, schedule play dates for your kids, take a painting or yoga class. Or my personal favorite, a kickboxing class!
Cheers!
themindofnatalie 