Feeling Unsettled

Have you ever been in a ‘phase’ where for some ‘unknown’ reason, you just feel different, unsettled, restless, disconnected of sorts, even a feeling of emptiness?
 
Well, it is fair to say that I have felt it.  In fact, as recently as these past couple of months, but I just can’t put my finger on it. 

I decided to take a bit of quiet time (5 minutes here and there), to reflect on what it was that was making me feel this way.  A few topics came to mind in the process, like menopause, children all grown up and not needing me as much anymore, winter blues etc..

I finally figured out that I was needing to put real action toward something meaningful and which makes me smile. 

The way I figured this out was to take time to think about, the last time I was joyful.  When this came to mind, I was being a lot more creative.  I had nothing to lose, so, I decided to go out and buy some arts and crafts and just play around with it all and see what happened.  Well, actually something did happen, I made a lovely gift for someone which was a nice byproduct of me trying to be creative.

What also took place was that creativity leading onto a few things in the house that needed fixing/changing which I have been putting off.
The key ingredient here for me was putting my music on and just enjoying being in the moment of what I was focusing on.

Through this process, I realised that I had not written a blog in a while and so because my creative ‘juices’ had been flowing, it seemed only natural that I should create some literature.

I think my point to this blog, is that when you feel something and you are not quite sure what it is or what to do with it, take time to do something different, but also to think of a time when you felt at peace, content and full of joy (all the things opposite to your initial feelings).  Then think about what you were doing at that joyful time and try to recreate part of it again this time around.

All I know is that something needed to change, as I was not enjoying feeling the way I was feeling.  And so, in order for things to change, you need to be doing something different.  Put yourself in a place that gives you a different viewpoint or consider things you may not have considered before by thinking completely ‘out of the box’.  You could even set out to discover your purpose for the next week, month, year ahead, by reflecting on some of your values at this stage of your life.  What makes you happy, excites you, is important to you or challenges you.

What is it that you could do that is just a little different from the norm, to get you out of a rut or get you moving in another direction?

All this being said, another reason one might feel disconnected specifically is due to a lack of touch.  This is called touch starvation.   Yes, it is a very real thing and can have a huge effect on someone's wellbeing.  We are wired to receive touch as it can have huge benefits on our emotional wellbeing as well as our physical health. 

If this resonates with you, then I encourage you to think about ways you can increase touch in your life.  That might be stroking a pet, having a massage, getting your hair washed, having a conversation with your partner about the lack of touch in your relationship or getting the extra hugs from family as a few examples. 
 
Just know, that everything you are feeling and experiencing, is changeable when you are purposeful with your 'thinking time' and your actions.