Wednesday, January 30, 2013

When things are at their worst, do you turn to people or things

When things are at their worst do you turn to people or things?

When things aren't going well, too many of us isolate ourselves. We find short-term comfort in things like drugs, alcohol, gambling, video games, food, chocolate, work, shopping, competition, cutting, etc.

The best things in life are never things, and because things can only ever take from us, they can't give us what we need most.

So what do we need?

Connection.

Brene Brown explains in her book The Gifts of Imperfection:
I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship... 
Connection begets connection. 
As a matter of fact, we are wired for connection. It's in our biology. From the time we are born, we need connection to thrive emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.
Things are impostors for connection. When we substitute people for things, we are corrupting our connections and sabotaging ourselves.

Because we require the connections born out of relationships with other people, the risks and consequences for disconnection are very real and very dangerous.

So when things are at their worst, do you turn to people or things?

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for an excellent post Joe. I think we need to find those people before times get tough. The holistic nature of life and who we are includes solid relationships and knowing that when we stub our toes or skin our knees, literally and metaphorically, we have people close to us who will support us in times of need.

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