The Upside of Running Away

A few weeks back I took a much needed break from reality.  I packed a bag, decided against telling anyone I was leaving and ran away from my life.  And while I know there are a few of you out there skipping over words right now trying to get to the juicy part of THAT story, I’m sorry to say I’m still not sharing.  I firmly believe there are some moments, some memories in our lives that we should keep just for ourselves.  Ones that we only share with the person(s) we made them with.  But I digress.

I had reached a point in my life in which simply turning off the ringer on my phone and curling up on the couch wasn’t going to do any good.  I needed to be someone other than Jen, if only for a few days.  I needed to shut off the every day and be free to absorb the little joys in life.

  

We all have moments that can wreak havoc on our emotions - different situations that lead to a questioning of ourselves and if we’re truly on the right path.  I have a tendency to allow myself to be overpowered by the voice in my head that, despite any visible successes, knows exactly what to say to knock me off my feet.  This voice can become massive and cruel and can use almost any situation to point out all of my fears and weaknesses, turning them into some skewed version of the truth.  

I have learned, throughout my life, that running away from my problems for a short amount of time helps alleviate the voice in my head.  I think that denial is the mind’s way of allowing the body to continue to heal because if we continued to be stuck inside our minds, our physical selves would deteriorate until there was nothing left.  

I’m not saying that running away is a permanent coping skill to problems in our lives.  All that really happens then is the our problems find new homes in the places we ran to.  But running away for a short amount of time can give us the energy we need to face whatever challenges await with the courage and strength that was being depleted.  

And while I’m still not sharing, I will tell you that my break from Jen was exactly what I needed at that exact moment.  And for that I am grateful - grateful for those who accept me for who I am and for those who allow me to be whatever I want to be.

May you all find moments of rejuvenation today...