This word has taken a front seat in all our lives. Understanding the significant power of this word could be the difference between life and death for some of us.
When we take ourselves out of society, we take ourselves out of the environments that were feeding our emotional needs.
Our mind is a battlefield that can run loose in when given the opportunity.
Isolation offers that opportunity.
We all have limiting beliefs. Those beliefs that hold you back from reaching your full potential; the lies that are in direct opposition with God’s truth and yet we have chosen to believe them as truth.
These limiting beliefs find a way to jump into all areas of our thoughts when we are isolated. We begin to create new stories in our head in order to prove them to be truth.
These lies revolve around 5 specific emotional needs.
The first need is that of unconditional love.
We are wired to be loving human beings and to feel love is imperative to our growth – physical, mental and emotional. We get screwed up when we convince ourselves that we are unlovable. We will remember all the people who left us, for whatever reasons, and then convince ourselves that they left because we are not lovable. So, we isolate.
The second need is to feel safe.
When we know we are being taken care of, it helps us feel like we are worth enough to keep safe. Being alone and not sure of what is really going on, allows our minds to believe that no one is going to be there for us when we need them because we are not important enough. So, we isolate.
The third need is to belong.
Being involved in something greater than ourselves give us purpose and meaning. Knowing that we are an integral part in other people’s lives helps us feel connected. Where we run into trouble is when we tell ourselves that we are not good enough, smart enough…whatever it is, enough. No one really wants us around because we do not fit in. So, we isolate.
The fourth need is to be accepted.
We know our strengths and weaknesses. We know we are different than others. But when we get in our head and start thinking about our differences as obstacles, we convince ourselves that we do not fit in. Our feelings, our opinions and our ideas are not valuable. So, we isolate.
The fifth need is appreciation.
We have a communal relationship with our world. We want to provide a benefit to those around us, to feel useful. When we do not interact with others over an extended period, we lose the feeling of being needed or appreciated. We tell ourselves that we are not doing anything, so what is there to appreciate. So, we isolate.
Not lovable, not important, not good enough, not valuable, not needed – none of these are the truth!
But the more we are left alone with the battle raging in our minds, the more we believe them to be our truth.
I know we are getting tired of virtual contact, but it is such an important way to stay connected and help fill each other’s emotional needs.
Another way to help ourselves get out of our mental battlefield is to write letters to people and let them know what they mean to us. When we help others believe in themselves, the emotional reward is like a boomerang and will help fill our belief bucket as well!
If you have lost your environment that feeds your emotional needs and you are stuck in a lonely battlefield, please reach out to me or someone you know who will help fill you back up.
<>< KC