I think it can be agreed that we all have seasons we prefer over others. Seasons where we as people individually bloom, flourish, and feel at our best; then there are seasons we may feel drained, flustered, and/or discouraged. With these seasons come many people and obligations that can cause us to lose focus on ourselves and internalize every situation in the rush of chaos, without dealing with the emotions that come along with it; so what happens when the chaos pauses? What happens in those moments of boredom and solitude? This is the key to being free. Free from past relationships, free from memories, free from responsibilities, and free from any unnecessary emotions draining us internally and stealing our peace. When we experience moments of solitude we are left to face all of the baggage and emotions from past situations that have been put off overtime. Healing takes time, and in the rush of chaos we often don't let ourselves. Here you are in a moment of solitude when you see one thing, feel one thing, or hear one thing that causes the trigger. The trigger of a situation in the past you internalized, and never confronted the affect and emotions. The trigger of a situation you thought you moved on from, yet after all of this time, here you are in solitude when the feelings and memories start to replay as if they are fresh and new.
Where do we go from here?
In order to heal we must allow ourselves the opportunity to confront these emotions head on. Address your emotions directly by expressing them to yourself. Right now I am [insert mad, happy, sad, depressed, excited, nostalgic] because of [insert situation], which made me feel [insert emotion]. Recognize whether this is a positive or negative feeling, this way you can determine if it is something you'd like to pursue, or a situation you could avoid in the future. Recognize the source of the emotion, who or what was the cause? This way, you can begin the process of detachment. The better we are able to detach ourselves from temporary things that are causing us harm, or even joy in the moment, the quicker and easier we can move on from situations that are moving on from us. Appreciate what it was, but accept what it is. Adapt and move forward. Life is about constant adaption to many changes, curve-balls, and situations we cannot control. When we can successful address and assess our emotions, give ourselves the time and space to heal, and put energy toward cultivating new perspectives and outcomes, then we can move forward into the next chapter of the unknown.
