There is an inherent value to connection. When we feel connected to ourselves and to others, when we can connect to our spiritual selves, we tend to feel a qualitative difference in the everyday purpose of our lives. We are, after all, social creatures. What happens when disconnection is what we feel instead? It might be with a loved one or friend that we are encountering a rough patch with, it may come in the form of a conflict, it may be an inner wrestling with ourselves. In any case, disconnection and the emotions that surround it exist on a continuum.
On one end of the spectrum, we experience vulnerability and the emotions that signal disconnection are disappointment, loneliness, sadness; the feelings of being hurt, left out and misunderstood. At the other end of the spectrum, we experience dominance and the aggressive feelings that are linked to disconnection; feeling accusatory, the need to attack, blame or critisize, anger and rage.
Very often, when we feel disconnected, we will polarize between the two ends of the spectrum, moving from vulnerability to dominance and back to vulnerability again. Sometimes we get stuck at one end. We struggle to find the middle ground, we feel lost as to how to regain the connection. The first step is simply to recognize that this spectrum of disconnection exists. If we can acknowledge its presence, we can begin the work of finding balance.
Tomorrow’s post will look at the middle ground of connection.
Information for this post was found in the book “This Changes Everything” by Christina Robb.
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@simmerdownjpg