Have you ever felt like running away from home? ‘Home’ can be a physical place or it can simply be a state of mind. And there doesn’t need to be an ‘apparent’ reason to escape just an overwhelming desire to be someplace, anyplace else. Perhaps it’s the sameness of everything that’s getting to you. Maybe you’re experiencing a kind of cabin fever of people, place and activities? But whatever the reason, the idea of running away from home holds great appeal. At least the appeal lasts until your logical, sensible, responsible self emerges to control.
You may not even know what you’re longing for. If you do, it’s considerably easier but even this is not necessary for the feeling to be either in your face or hovering in the recesses of your mind. Sometimes it’s a desire to run to something, most of the time it’s a desire to be rid of what’s happening in your life – or perhaps even to add some excitement, or maybe it’s peace. It’s almost like you’re drowning in s.o.s.o and it’s getting more and more difficult to catch your breath.
First and foremost you need to know that the feeling is not unusual and it’s not ‘bad’. Second you need to accept that you need to deal with the feeling. It will never simply ‘go away’, it will linger in some way if not dealt with. It’s also important to deal with your view of your life. The ‘distemper’ that occurred is a desire for something new, something different. But for ‘different’ to occur requires one to change how one looks at things and how once reacts to them – not simply a different ‘place’.
Since none of us, typically, actually run away, what can we do – what’s available to eliminate or diminish the situation? I don’t think there’s any one all pervasive answer. What’s required is to know what it is you want – that’s the beginning. Then you need to decide what is the best path to attain it. Third is if you’re willing to pay the price to attain it. And if not, if you’re willing to pay the price of no change. Last is actually acting on the first step toward your goal.
