life
The Importance of Being
EMOTIONALLY SELF SUFFICIENT
Self sufficiency is a term often used for growing our own food, creating a particular kind of lifestyle. It is promoted as a positive way of life and individuals who live this way have a healthy glow associated with them.
BY KATHLEEN NORTH
E
motional self sufficiency, however, is just as (if not more) important than the above. This is always the case but during these extremely challenging times, even more so. Individuals have an innate ability to feed and sustain themselves emotionally when they are with others. Being able to see, hear and touch them recharges our emotional batteries and can keep us going until the next meeting. Body language must also not be underestimated; those subtle physical signs and nuanced gestures that are totally lost when we are speaking on the phone or by electronically communicating. If we are able to Skype, FaceTime and stay in visual contact with loved ones, why is emotional self sufficiency important? I believe coping, indeed positively 46
navigating through life with this ability is vital. It does not negate how important interaction with other people is, it should be considered another emotional asset in our lives. For those who live alone, developing such skills has become more of a necessity, purely because they have had to fine tune functioning by themselves. This does not make it easier but it certainly means they have had more practice. Sustaining oneself is about the individual. Certain people find it easier than others to create a healthy, balanced world that loves the company of others but can manage, indeed thrive living their lives without always needing to feed off others. We live in a society where social media is a huge part of many people’s lives for some the constant messaging and viewing of images makes
Is this a way to feel included, popular? us feel part of a much bigger community, as well as staying in touch with friends and family. Is this a way to feel included, popular? Self sufficiency is the quality of feeling secure and content with oneself. It allows a person a sense of inner completeness as well as stability. At extreme times ad we are facing now, those with psychological resilience are less likely to be destabilised by traumatic events. Enjoying your own company maybe viewed as a somewhat lonely or that you cope with solitude better than interaction. This is not GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAY 2020
