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Life lessons often have a way of sneaking up on you. When you least expect it, you experience one of those flashes of insight, one of those big, bold, life-altering "ah-ha's" that you absolutely HATE to see coming, DESPISE when you're in the midst of it, but are oh, so GRATEFUL for when you've learned it and seen the light.
I found myself over the last few months doing something people in recovery programs refer to as "isolating." Others refer to it as "cocooning." Basically, it's holing up in your nice, comfortable little world and never venturing out into the sun. I didn't really do it on purpose, but I did find that when you work at home, as I have been for the past year, it's very easy to get used to never going out. I soon found that I wanted nothing more than to just be left alone, to stay inside, at home, where it was safe and nothing out of the ordinary was asked of me. At first, this way of life felt very safe and cozy. Rarely did I feel the need to take a risk or step outside of my comfortable little bubble. I could wake up each morning pretty certain I would be able to face the day with the least amount of energy or anxiety. But after a few weeks of this, I started to notice a growing sense of low-grade anxiety bubbling up inside, and before I knew it, I was spending most evenings in a complete state of utter agitation, wondering why my life wasn't progressing and why nothing was happening. I was stagnating; trapped in the cage I had set up for myself. What had first seemed such a safe and comforting way to live was making me sick, and crazy and highly irritable. I realized that there really is no comfort in the comfort zone. What happens when we cocoon and not allow ourselves to break free from our self-imposed boxes, bars and chains and spread our glorious wings is this: little things start to look big and intimidating; trivial events take on gigantic and stressful proportions. New ideas seem too frightening to even consider. Even having lunch with a friend becomes something to stress out about.
The copyright of the article Breaking the Chains That Bind Us in Science of Mind is owned by Rev. Marie Jones. Permission to republish Breaking the Chains That Bind Us in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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