Staying in the Game
When you don’t show up, we all miss out.
-Robert Holden
Hello Friends,
We are two lucky ladies . . . Not only do we have all of you in our lives, but we get to witness all the hard work you do to create lives that are meaningful and bring you joy! We are incredibility inspired by the perseverance and determination with which many of you approach life. When you overcome obstacles, face difficult decisions, and don’t give up, you are doing what we call Staying in the Game. We thank you for having the courage it takes to create a life of happiness.
Staying in the Game happens when you stick with your life’s guiding principles, even when life gets tough or when you are in a stressful or uncertain situation. It also occurs as we start to get older, and our choices and abilities change. We must keep going and be ALL IN, even when that means we are forced to take life a minute at a time as we gather our strength.
Regrettably, during the past few months, we have heard one concerning phase repeated many, many times from people we care deeply about – “I’m going into isolation.”
Now, we aren’t talking about isolation related to COVID-19 lockdowns. The type of isolation these people are referring to is their coping strategy for when life is challenging or they’re facing a disappointment or regret. We’ve also heard a few individuals say something similar in response to getting older.
What we want to say is: isolation is not the answer.
As we mentioned in a previous blog, isolation of any kind, creates problems including depression, anxiety, stress, poor sleep habits, and numerous other health challenges.
We’ve also observed that even when people decide to come OUT of their isolation, they are no happier than when they went INTO isolation. In fact, they have lost friends because of distancing themselves, they have unintentionally hurt other people’s feelings, and they don’t have a sense of belonging. These factors lead to even more unhappiness.
From our own personal experience and from observing others, the people who are the happiest are also the ones who are the most involved in life and they feel as though they are contributing to the lives of others. Most of all, their days are filled with meaning and purpose.
If you find yourself wanting to isolate, please consider other options. Call a friend and invite them to go for a hike or a chat at the park - or reach out to your coach or counselor. Personally, we both count it our privilege and our joy to help our clients work through their difficult times and issues by providing life-long tools. You have many other options that will truly serve you.
Everyone has a something valuable to add to our world (even when we can’t see it ourselves), and life is most beautiful when we Stay in the Game, care for ourselves, share ourselves with others, and reach out for help when we need it!
Thank you for being in our lives!
Lots of love,
Annette and Ada