The Emotional Weight of Isolation

We humans isolate ourselves for various reasons that are unique to each person's experience, but mostly it's done to protecting our mental and emotional well-being. It's also done as a result of past trauma, betrayal, emotional and physical exhaustion, and many other things, although on a few occasions isolation isn't deemed to be good, but in the advent of some of the above-listed scenarios, isolation is usually the safest option. Aside from those reasons, people also isolate themselves so they have adequate time for self-reflection that'll stimulate personal growth, and below I'll be using some of my own reasons to highlight why people isolate themselves.

So without further ado, let's delve into some of the various reasons why people isolate themselves. Like I said, most of my points would be based on my own personal experience and reasons why I isolate myself.

Due to emotional and mental exhaustion: there are times in our lives when everything just seems overwhelming in aspects such as relationship, work, and even our personal struggles and in such situations the best way forward to at least get myself back in order is via going isolated so I can recover emotionally and mentally, also brings a teacher, my profession can be exhausting leading to burnout due to the many activities that revolves around my job, and in such situations sometimes all I needed is retreating from social interactions so as to recover back in time for another day of work.

Betrayal and disappointment: It's quite easy to resort to isolation when trust is broken, be it by friends, family, partners, or colleagues; it usually leaves isolation as the best defense mechanism. I remember years ago when I was heartbroken; it was pretty difficult to swallow the pain that comes from that, and that led to me isolating myself from anything that has to do with love to safeguard my heart and prevent further emotional trauma.

Coping with trauma and painful experiences: I remember when my grandparents died; it was a very painful experience for me, and I can't help but blame myself for not being there for them when I ought to. This led me to isolate myself to reflect and process my emotions without external pressures. The same is the case with my health challenges; it's quite annoying when I realize how often I have to visit the hospital for my health issues. In fact, the past three weeks have been hell. I was ill and hospitalized for about two weeks, and I used the third week to just stay off any form of social interaction. I probably did this because of the stress involved and the strain it has on my finances, and before I knew it, I was naturally isolated even though it's not like it's what I wanted to do.

Need for personal growth and reflection: It's worth noting that not all isolation is associated with negativity; sometimes it's for the greater good, and in some situations I just withdraw myself from social interactions so I can have enough time to reflect on my life experience, what I'm doing, what I need to do, and several other things to bring about growth and stay focused on my goals.

In a nutshell, like I said earlier, isolation isn't entirely bad, and that's because it can help us heal and grow and as well protect us from things militating against our mental well-being, but then isolation must not be too much, so we must find a way to strike a balance between meaningful social connections and isolation.

All photos are mine.