Turtling

Turtling is a pretty normal human response to emotional pain. Lose a job, lose a marriage, lose a loved one – we tend to go more internal. Turtle up and put a little bit of a shell around us. A protective mechanism to give ourselves time to heal, shelter us from further pain at a vulnerable time. The real danger is if that shell becomes calcified. If we decide it’s better to stay turtled than to venture out into the world, better to avoid all pain rather than risk suffering ever again. That isn’t living, it’s slowly dying.

I just watched a client throw off a big piece of their old shell and start living again. They said they feel free for the first time in a long time. Fires me up. Another client is in the midst of unchosen suffering and is doing some healthy turtling to care of themselves and their inner circle. Also good.

There’s a time to slow down and heal. There’s a time to take steps outside. If you need to heal, slow down and get clarity on what will best help that process. If it’s time to step out, figure out the next baby step of action and start living.