Whether it’s alcohol, red meat, processed foods, smoking, or caffeine, the result of significant reduction or complete elimination can be physically and psychologically debilitating. For some reason, I thought it would be a grand idea to quit all of it at the SAME time!! Well, save for the smoking…I conquered that over 12 years ago:)
For the past two weeks, I’ve been ‘de-toxing and cleasing’; enjoying the benefits of the lovely Nutribullet my husband gifted me for Christmas. I went full boar and quit pop, dairy, all processed foods and drinks, and alcohol. The results have been measurable but the headaches and cravings of that first week were almost unbearable!
Even so, these withdrawals were overshadowed and made insignificant by another type of withdrawal that started weeks earlier. In preparation for the holidays, I made a conscious decision to ‘withdraw’ from as much drama and chaos as possible. I wanted to enjoy the time with family and friends; experiencing the PEACE of the season, that up until this year had alluded me. Quite frankly, although I always wished it upon others, my cynical self had almost determined ‘Peaceful Christmas Season’ defined oxymoron.
This year was going to be different. And my solution was withdrawal. Not just from the drama that ensues when large groups of family get together. Not just from the self-imposed unrealistic expectations for me to be all things to all people. Not just from the bedlam found at all retail locations from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. But also from the crises portrayed and projected across my television, newspaper, lap-top, and phone. The daily (sometimes hourly) rants by one talking head or another, pontificating on the most recent example of the demise of human decency went largely ignored. Enough is enough. No more. The line has been drawn and I have concluded I do not have room in my life for the barrage of negativity so easily accessed and distributed in today's world. It's technological warfare, infiltrating every pore of our existence.
I rarely get deeply involved in anything that could be remotely construed as political. I have my beliefs and if I choose to comment on them publicly, I understand the consequences. Over the past several weeks, I’ve deliberately disregarded the Ferguson debacle, the Eric Garner case, the Paris assassinations, and anything else that resembled and represented human tragedy, despair, or conflict. I’m rather proud to say I don’t even know enough about any of these stories to speak intelligently. And I know myself well enough to not dig any deeper. But I DO know enough to pray. At the end of the day, prayer is my only weapon against such acts of inhumanity and disgrace. To protect my heart from tearing in two, to maintain some fragment of hope for a better world, to keep my cynicism in check, I must withdraw.
Instead of getting sucked into mind-numbing debates, absurd arguments or heart-wrenching details, I focused on my little corner of the world for a few precious weeks. I shared special time with my husband and boys; lounging, laughing, indulging, and cuddling. I cooked and played photographer. We watched movies, got coffee, and took walks in the park. We relished visits with parents and extended family. It was a glorious, PEACEFUL time, which I could fully appreciate and enjoy because I was present. No distractions on my mind, no anxieties on my heart, no commotion in my psyche.
Many may call these actions cowardice, ignorant, selfish, or egocentric. I simply call it self-preservation. The effects of this withdrawal were anything but unpleasant! Headaches were averted. Cravings for the latest news updates (What qualifies for news these days anyway?? Topic for another day!) or gossip headlines faded quickly. My soul was fed and I am full.
Addition by subtraction some would say. Give it a try.
Tune it out. Turn it off. Walk away. Withdraw. Renew. Heal. And as always...Pray. It's our world. It's our life. Let's take it back.