It’s normal to feel stress and anxiety when faced with uncertainty, and often that can spill over into our relationships. Living in isolation, if we don’t normally spend much time together, our anxiety can have us lashing out at one another even when we normally have a strong, stable relationship. It can also highlight any challenge that already exists. Being in such close proximity all the time means that any conflict is literally ‘in your face’.
Some of us are better at coping with the unknown than others. When we feel anxious, when life is turned upside down and we worry about what will happen, some of us react, others withdraw. Some of us feel overwhelmed and react in ways that can hurt our relationships – arguing, raising our voice, getting angry. Some of us feel a need to hold it altogether, although inside we feel like we’re falling apart – we just don’t want to admit it and be vulnerable. We need to feel we are in control. While we seek to stand on our own feet, we’re still a human being, deeply connected with others and in need of support, assistance and understanding.
What is your pattern?
Living in isolation – one of the gifts perhaps is time. Time to be with our self, our heart, our soul. Time to stop and breathe. Time to be in the silence, to reflect, to listen, to feel, perhaps to cry. Time to strengthen our self, to connect to our inner peace and stability. Time to let go and let God.
Time to connect with who we are at heart so we can be strong for those we support, be calmer, steadier, kinder, and strengthen our relationships. All it takes is creating space. Time to let go of fear and anxiety, time to feel the softness and tenderness within us.