You’ve put into words something I think so many of us feel but rarely know how to express, that our inner worlds become places of refuge, even of real joy, when the outer world can’t seem to meet us halfway. And that you’ve learned to cultivate playfulness and creativity within yourself instead of waiting for others to recognize or respond to it. That sense of “isolation by choice,” as you put it, is SO relatable. It’s like you’ve built a world where you’re not just safe, but free to explore and feel completely at home. I appreciate your perspective.
Thanks for much for your thoughtful comment! It's been a confusing journey myself. Several of my closest friends and family members don't know what I mean when I say "inner life" and so I downplayed it for a long time. My therapist and my writing have helped me lean into it recently I think? I'm not sure what advice to give to people besides "trust your thoughts and fully explore them"!
That's great advice! I understand what you mean about people not understanding your inner life. I also downplayed mine for so long. I have a hard time putting into words what mine is like other than to say I'm never bored and I enjoy thinking about all the things. It's baffling that there's people who don't know what an inner life is or are curious enough to explore theirs. WEIRD. Sounds like you have a wonderful therapist and that you've done some processing with your writing (which is very good btw!). I believe we should do what feels natural to us, what feels right in our gut. I've spent decades trying to make others comfortable around me. I give no shits about that now. (At least I don't think I do haha)
You’ve put into words something I think so many of us feel but rarely know how to express, that our inner worlds become places of refuge, even of real joy, when the outer world can’t seem to meet us halfway. And that you’ve learned to cultivate playfulness and creativity within yourself instead of waiting for others to recognize or respond to it. That sense of “isolation by choice,” as you put it, is SO relatable. It’s like you’ve built a world where you’re not just safe, but free to explore and feel completely at home. I appreciate your perspective.
Thanks for much for your thoughtful comment! It's been a confusing journey myself. Several of my closest friends and family members don't know what I mean when I say "inner life" and so I downplayed it for a long time. My therapist and my writing have helped me lean into it recently I think? I'm not sure what advice to give to people besides "trust your thoughts and fully explore them"!
That's great advice! I understand what you mean about people not understanding your inner life. I also downplayed mine for so long. I have a hard time putting into words what mine is like other than to say I'm never bored and I enjoy thinking about all the things. It's baffling that there's people who don't know what an inner life is or are curious enough to explore theirs. WEIRD. Sounds like you have a wonderful therapist and that you've done some processing with your writing (which is very good btw!). I believe we should do what feels natural to us, what feels right in our gut. I've spent decades trying to make others comfortable around me. I give no shits about that now. (At least I don't think I do haha)
Thank you so much and I completely agree! Our gut and brains are already telling us what is worth pursuing, we just have to listen!
Absolutely yes to a rich inner life as a safe haven. I'm really with you on this!
This framing is relatively new to me, so I'm happy to hear this resonates with you! Thanks for reading!