The joy of isolation?

In these rather strange and un-presidented times have you found yourself actually being grateful for the time away from family, friends and social commitments?

Are you the type of person who would normally shy away from attending a family bbq or meeting a group of friends at the local pub?

Maybe you were the bell of the ball and you were happy to be in the middle of the crowd? And yet now you’ve found yourself wondering if you even want to return to those crazy and flamboyant meet ups?

Or have you felt that your feelings of isolation and loneliness have been too much to cope with and you are looking forward to returning to life outside your four walls?

Now that things are beginning to return to some form of normal – even if it is a new normal.  I wonder how you are feeling about this?  Are you feeling happy that we are soon to be able to go shopping again or do you dread the prospect of leaving your home to do anything other than what is required?

Loneliness:

There are many crystals which are really useful when we are feeling lonely including:  Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Green Calcite, Rhodochrosite, Mookite Jasper, Cobaltan Calcite and Snowflake Obsidian

Loneliness is generally portrayed as being negative, but sometimes it can be a good thing to feel that emotion (albeit hopefully briefly), deep within our heart space.  It helps us to feel connected to the world and grateful for for the connections we do have.

Some helpful tips for loneliness:

• Make contact with friends – one of the best things you can do is to communicate.  It’s easy to hide away – but remember, by showing up you might just be helping somebody who is feeling exactly the same as you are.
• Smile! – I can’t stress this enough.  If you feel pants – look in the mirror and give yourself a beaming smile.  Initially it might seem crazy, but the more you beam at yourself, the more it’ll make you giggle.  The more you giggle, the more that your ego loses control…
• Each day as you wake up, tell yourself how much you love yourself – positive affirmations are known to create new and positive neural pathways inside the brain.  Externally this shows as confidence, friendliness and high self-esteem.
• Change the script – if you are thinking ‘I’m lonely’ or ‘nobody loves me’ then your ego is loving it as it’s all about ‘me’.  But if you change the way you think and act, the ego has nowhere to shine.  Focus on helping others, get outside and appreciate nature, talk to the trees and plants (if this floats your boat).  This will all help you to feel better about yourself and in turn will change your perception.

Fear:

On the other hand, if you are feeling joyous at your time out from normality and you’re dreading returning to the crazy world outside then calming our fears, especially the fear of responsibility then agate offers protection and calm, amethyst is known to reduce/remove all forms of fear, obsidian and labradorite both powerful protectors and magical stones.  In general many of the deep coloured grounding stones like red jasper help to relieve fear and uncertainty.  Citrine is also a fabulous crystal to consider as it calms fears and in particular the fear of responsibility.

Some helpful tips for fear:

• Get outside into the fresh air – maybe go for a walk or a run.
• Exercise – If you prefer to be indoors, now is the perfect time to enrole on an online yoga or fitness class (safe in the comfort of your own home).
• Focus on the positive – positive emotions help towards finding your meaning and purpose in life.
• Practice mindfulness – spend 20 minutes every morning either meditating or sitting with positive affirmations and visualisations.  YouTube has some excellent guided meditations to assist.
• Support – talk to others, find your support network.

However you are feeling, it is crucial that we remember that everybody is reacting to these strange times in their own way.  It may not resonate with us, but if we stay kind and know that each of us has our own role to play then everything will be just fine.

Embrace how you are feeling right now in this moment and as we know, this moment will pass.  So if you do find yourself feeling lonely or out of sorts, know that you are not alone and that in time this will all be a distant memory.