After major hurts and loses, isolating myself from others is awfully tempting. There’s an appeal to shutting myself up in a castle like existence and telling the world to “Go Away!”
Somehow being shut off from intrusions and distractions is comforting. There’s also a twisted comfort in being able to launch blame bombs and exercise control games safe from behind my protective walls.
You can call it “Isolation thinking“, the “Withdrawal Crawl” or even “playing opossum“. Whatever you call it, the temptation is there calling my name.
I also know that there’s a difference between needing a break and walling myself off from the world.
There’s several problems with isolation living like that. One is that I’m shutting myself off from growth and opportunities.
Isolation, on the other hand has protection, but it also stifles my own growth. When I’m trying to control others, I’m not taking care of myself.
Making choices and moving out of isolation has risks. Those risks also have gains. Even though part of me wants the safety and security of isolation, growth happens when reaching out and taking risks.
Each day you isolate yourself, you give away a little more power. The cure for isolation is connecting with others.
It’s only in getting started that healing begins. The isolation temptation is one you’ll encounter during recovery from the affair. Although it lessens over time, the temptation remains with you.
Choosing not to isolate can be the start of many other choices that take you in the direction of health. One place that can help as well is membership in the Restored Lifestyle site. Membership gives you access to the videos designed for helping you through recovery from the affair
Keeping It Real,
Jeff
