Staying active and seeking pleasure-filling outlets for one’s routine lifestyle can often generate excitement and joy…temporarily, at least. Seeking out that Sunday matinee, attending your favorite outdoor jazz festival, heading up to the ski slopes and, yes, even a mall-shopping excursion can provide badly needed fun in your stressful everyday life. But...be honest...are you using those diversions merely as an attempt to escape from the problems that are threatening to engulf you?
Pause for a moment and ask yourself, Am I the type of person who must stay on the run 24/7, including nights and weekends, in order to find some sort of fleeting, superficial happiness? Am I filling my social and work calendars to the max in order to avoid facing the annoying issues that keep cropping up in my life? Do I have urgent job, relationship, family, financial or health matters that need my attention? Is my desire to flee from the realities of my own existence on a regular basis simply a temporary solution to solving more pressing problems that really need to be addressed sooner rather than later?
Do yourself a favor! Assess whether you are navigating your life in the realm of reality or the fantasyland of denial. If, for instance, you feel as though you have to entertain yourself or be entertained on a fairly consistent basis, you may be trying to escaping from yourself. Everyone needs quiet time in order to contemplate, meditate and create. Are you allowing yourself time to just be with YOU – with no distractions, diversions, or outside stimulation?
Whether you are in a relationship with a partner or live by yourself, assess where you are and attempt to get to the bottom of what may be seeming to keep you running a nonstop marathon. Then throw in a dash of self-love and awareness, which might actually return you to a place of true joy and gratitude. And don’t forget to find precious time for that much-needed mental, emotional and physical rest necessary to support a truly healthy and happy lifestyle.