Find Your Tribe

We should never do life alone.  But there are times we feel alone.  Finding your tribe is about connecting with the people in our lives that care about us. 

When I was a teenager, I went through a period of time where I struggled.  I had great support systems and friends.  I was very busy and had a very full life.  I needed a different kind of help then what I currently had.  The first thing I did was to articulate how I was feeling with a trusted person in my life.  In this case it was my pastor.  His recommendation was to connect with a fellow that had a desire to mentor young men.  This was the start of a yearlong process of walking train tracks and having coffee.  But this time changed my life for the better.

If you are struggling and are feeling alone, please tell someone.  Even if they are not the person to help you navigate your struggles, they may be able to connect you to someone who can.

If we are feeling the need to isolate, to spend time by ourselves, avoiding relationship, we need to consider why we are doing this.  This may be a medical issue and related to your sleep.  The tendency to isolate when we are stressed, worried or are feeling in ‘pain’ is part of our fight or flight sympathetic nervous system.  A poor night’s sleep, either reduced sleep amount or an actual sleeping problem, will increase your sympathetic nervous system activity.  The symptoms that others see is an increased irritability and a tendency to want to be alone.

Get connected to local resources such as counseling, a priest or pastor, or even your family doctor. 

Here are some local resources that are part of The Anxiety Project.

Alpine Counseling

Mayfield Counseling Center