How Social Distancing Can Be A Pathway To Personal Growth

Hello, Citizens of The Internet!

Today, I'm going to share some thoughts on why I think social distancing and isolation is a great time to look inward and focus on getting to know yourself. 

I’ve built my life around isolation. My home is sequestered in a desert oasis. My job requires minimal in-person social interaction. Most of my days are spent working from home, looking inward and learning about the world around me via the internet. It’s weird to see the world suddenly live as I do. To see “normal” people begrudgingly living the same solitary existence that I painstakingly and artfully crafted for myself. It took years to learn to be comfortable with loneliness, but in it, I found something beautiful. I found the space to get to know my true self.

Trust me, I know it's hard to be away from friends and family right now… and with every day, it gets harder not to be able to spend time with the people that you love. Especially in a moment where the world seems so scary. But this is a great time to get to know yourself. To envision your dreams and your passions in a new light, and to think of ways to take steps towards them. To look at your current situation, goals, and plans and assess whether or not you are comfortable with your trajectory. To get to know the finer details of your personality, what you like, what you don’t like and what you want out of life. To live more simply and to find happiness in the small moments that compose your day. To learn to be grateful for what you have and to be content with the space that you occupy in the world.

Here are some questions that you can ask yourself to get the process started:

• How do I spend a typical day? Am I comfortable living my whole life that way?
• What do I want out of life? Am I working towards a goal? Do I have dreams that I might have abandoned? Are there dreams I haven't found yet?
• What are some things that I do that make me happy? How can I incorporate more of those things into my life? 
• What are the things in my life that stress me out? Why do they stress me out? Can I remove those things from my life or develop tools to better handle them? 

That's all for now. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post. 

Love you and talk to you soon!

XO, Audrey