Break the Isolation Habit

Marcia lives in a decent neighborhood. She loves her husband and absolutely adores her children. Problem is that she never leaves her home (except to run errands).

She cooks, cleans, and wipes noses all day long, wondering what fun she's missing, and thinking that she'll never ever ever in a million years have the opportunities she wishes for.

She's right. She chooses to isolate herself, remember?

Nowadays, we live in an isolated environment of our own choosing. We litter our homes with worthless knick knacks, rummage around in our closets for clothing we know we don't own, and constantly wonder what else is out there.

That's me. I could be Marcia. So could you.

So what do we do about it?

Go to the library, for starters. No, not the self-help books. Avoid them - you don't need them. Start with the classics, and move into modern fiction. I said fiction. Get your imagination moving. Stop feeling like you have to put something into your memory bank. Trust me, there's probably more in there than you'll ever use anyway.

Next, head over to the coffee house or diner. Read your book. Enjoy your coffee. Get used to sitting alone in public (vs. sitting alone in your easy chair).

For more fun, eavesdrop on the people around you. They're probably taking a break from something or other and telling their companion all about it. Think about their lives. Get inside their heads. Decide what you would do if you were them and had such drama in your life.

After coffee, drive home. Finish your book in bed. Enjoy being by yourself! Drift off to sleep happy to be in your own bed, next to the man you love.

Next morning...

Pick up the first thing you see that makes you feel bad. Throw it away. It doesn't matter how much it costs or who gave it to you. Get rid of it. If that felt good, go ahead and throw away something else that makes you feel less than happy when you look at it.

Do not stop by the store to replace the item with something else! Instead, look around your house again. Something is there that you absolutely love. Maybe your slippers. Put your slippers in the spot left by the thing you threw away.

Do this for a week. After 7 days, you'll be rid of 7 things that made you feel bad when you looked at them. In their places are seven things that you absolutely love.

The point of this is that before you can love yourself (or change your situation), you must get rid of the things that make you feel bad. Objects are easy to throw away, and disposing of objects is the best way to practice disposing of unneeded and hurtful emotions.

So, do these things:

Take time to fuel your imagination.
Focus on what makes you feel good about yourself.
Surround yourself with objects you love.
Fill your heart with emotion that enlivens and emboldens you.

Changing how you feel about yourself doesn't work when you focus on the negative feelings that are holding you back from your dreams. To change your life, look at what you put into it.

If trash goes in, then trash comes out. When love goes in, then love comes out.