This craving for connection is real. I can witness it on a daily basis how the people around me deeply enjoy socializing again and it fills my heart with joy.
Genuine conversations, real expression, listening, sharing, eye contact, hugging can satisfy our craving for genuine connection.
Have you noticed a change in your behaviour?
Have you noticed a change in how you relate to people ever since covid restrictions have lifted? Were you craving connection with people during lockdown? Or were you relieved not having to socialize as much during your social isolation?
No matter if you are a genuine introvert or a part-time introvert we all need social connections. What I have noticed over the last couple months is that I used to compensate with food and netflix for my lack and laziness of socializing.
Food became way to important and netflix became way to sexy for me. Always being readily accessible and not requiring me to open up or to relate to others. It gave me the fix I needed at the time. Comfort- a “feeling” of connection.
This comfort though would never last long enough so after a little while of getting my fix I would be in search/ survival mode again to seek out the next satisfactory-craving-fix.
It is only over the last couple weeks that I realize that when I genuinely engage with people and be present with people that interest and inspire me that I feel less ‘hungry’ for stuff and am less interested in netflixing.
New projects can give you purpose and connect you to your community
My partner, family and I have set up a Yurt ( The Yurt Experience ) in our back yard. The setting up of the Yurt was quite a bonding experience already. Now I started hosting little relaxation and mindfulness events inside the yurt which connected me further to my community and gives me purpose.
What I’m learning right now is that it’s important to stay engaged with people even though they don’t always share the same values, opinions, lifestyle. We don’t need to stay engaged in certain/ difficult discussions but we can stay engaged with the people around us on a new/ different level. We are herd animals after all and need each other.
I strongly believe we all crave connection and want to feel close to each other but we don’t want to feel misunderstood, rejected, or even worse have the feeling that we need to compromise ourselves and our authenticity in order to stay connected.
Let’s dream a little and reflect
What if we would take our opinions and beliefs a little less serious and put connection and presence with each other first ? In what kind of world/ community would we live in if we just saw each other for who we are without the need to hold up a specific identity?
I invite you to try it out and see what happens: start connecting with people for the sake of genuine connection. Begin seeing where you feel shame and try to hide.
Reflect about your little habits and how some of your habits might not be needed anymore once you have genuine connections in your life again.
with love and much respect for your journey
A.
Yorumlar