Isolation Is Not Healthy For You

Isolation is Not Healthy for You

The Western world is going through an isolation crisis, and our generation is the one most affected by it. Let's talk about it.

It seems like people nowadays have relegated the importance of community and belonging to the back burner. We no longer place the value social interactions have historically had to them because we no longer view them as needed but as optional. This couldn't be further from the truth. Lack of socialization has been linked with higher risks of disease than smoking. It increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's in old age. It causes people to become depressed and hopelessness and detaches us from the correct way to interact and become functioning members of society around others.

Socializing is crucial to one's well-being, regardless if our personalities are intro or extroverted. Introversion should never be used as a synonym for isolation. When you look at many people across the Global South, despite the issues they have to face, they usually seem much happier than those in the West because they have a sense of belonging and community.

Online interactions through social media can never replace real, face-to-face interactions. In fact, being chronically online will only make you more detached from reality.

I've personally made it a goal of mine for 2024 to become as social as possible. If I can't find people on the same wavelength as me in my city or country, I will travel abroad. I refuse to let my youth be wasted by keeping myself from experiences that only other people can provide me with. This time that I have right now nobody will be able to get back to me, and I refuse to live it alone. As I always say, it is better to be alone than surrounded by the wrong company, but it is better to have good company around you than to be alone. To find those people you must be proactive and committed to searching for them.

a beginner’s guide to yoga

🧘‍♀️ what is yoga?

putting it briefly, yoga is a mindfulness and spiritual practice that connects the mind, body, and breath through physical movement and poses called “asanas.”

🧘‍♀️ benefits of yoga

yoga has some incredible benefits for both the mind and body, including:

reducing mental stress and calming the mind

improving flexibility and mobility

working and strengthening even the small muscles in the body

improving circulation and heart health

allowing you to be present and mindful

improving balance and coordination

activating or calming the nervous system

reducing body pain

improving range of motion and joint health

🧘‍♀️ different types of yoga

there are many different types of yoga, each with their own unique benefits. here are just a few you may start with:

vinyasa

hatha

ashtanga

yin

restorative

🧘‍♀️ where do i start?

if you do not feel ready to go to a class or you do not have a studio near you, there are many classes you can follow on youtube! here are a few channels on youtube i really like:

akshaya agnes

boho beautiful yoga

charlie follows

gayatri yoga

jessica richburg

the glow method

yoga with kassandra

yoga with kate amber

🧘‍♀️ personal tips

start slow! i say this in all of my workout posts when i give advice, but i promise it is important. pushing yourself too far in the beginning will only injure you, so don’t be afraid to take it easy at first.

don’t judge yourself. it’s much easier said than done when you see people who have been practicing for years and seem like they can do everything, but everyone has things that they struggle with. i’ve been practicing yoga consistently for 5 years now and there are still things that i struggle with, so don’t be too hard on yourself.

going alone with the tip above, have a sense of humor about your journey. if you fall, it’s perfectly fine. it happens to the best of us! as long as you stay safe and get back up and keep trying, you’re doing great.

switch it up! as mentioned above, there are many types of yoga, and the ones i named are just a few. don’t be afraid to try different types! i used to hate yin because i found it even harder than the more flow-y sequences, but now it’s one of my favorites. it’s always good to get some variety in your practice and you may end up loving something you thought you would hate!

daily habits that are making me feel much better this 2024

waking up very early

if you are a person who finds it difficult to get up early you can achieve this by getting up an hour earlier than usual, you'll notice the difference.

journaling

it's my favorite habit and i do it every morning and before going to sleep, it also helps me in moments when I'm not feeling well to feel better and see things from a different perspective. on amazon there are many journals with questions already formulated to answer every morning and every night, highly recommended! i've been doing this since october last year and i noticed a big difference.

listen/watch personal growth videos/podcasts every day

it's not necessary to spend all day consuming this content but every day i like to learn something new or just reaffirm something i already know to make it stronger. watching content like this helps to replace old beliefs with new ones that are more beneficial and healthy. plus the people who make this content usually have a really good vibe. i love listening to this while i'm at the gym.

break with the routine once or twice a week

i mean do something different from what you can normally do, for example, I love to go out to a coffee shop have my favorite drink while listening to music, and spend some time on pinterest looking for inspiration, not only pictures but i also find very interesting things that i can apply in my day to day life!

listening to frequencies to raise my vibration

i have realized that this is very powerful and it is very important to have a high vibration, one of the most important reasons for me is that i have realized that besides having more mental calm and fewer worries is that low vibrational thoughts do not enter my mind, so to speak. examples of frequencies: 528hz, 432hz, 111hz. on youtube there are many. crystal bowls are also one of my favorites.

getting out of my comfort zone

the first week of this new year didn't make much difference to me and sometimes we expect things to change suddenly, and this can happen but it doesn't always happen right away. this week i have been much less resistant to making changes in my life and having a new schedule with an improved routine has made me feel much better.

be more present. think/act as my best version would act

this is very powerful. it is typical to act on autopilot and many times i was not fully aware of some habits i had that were harming me to a greater or lesser extent or of the things i was thinking. this doesn't mean that sometimes you have to do something you don't like, it's just another experience at the end of the day, but i mean to stop consuming content or doing things that don't help me to be the version i want to be and also to be more present, enjoying my day no matter what happens tomorrow.

besides all this, exercise, healthy and balanced eating, meditation are also important to me, but these are things that i always mention because they are part of my life and i wanted to contribute something new to serve as inspiration for others.

you don't have to do everything on the list but maybe something of what I have written catches your attention, you implement it in your life and it starts to improve significantly. that has happened to me.

stop delaying your healing process by opening doors to toxic people. everyone is worth forgiving but not everyone is worth reconciling with. don’t hinder your progress to make others comfortable. you owe it to yourself to heal. make this season personal and continue on with evolving.

I pray every book girl finds the type of love she reads about