When my sons were young I never put them in timeout as punishment. I put them in timeout so that they could gather their composure and reclaim their self control. Timeout is a perfect opportunity to assess your situation and realize that it feels better to behave and stay composed and react appropriately to whatever got you upset or in trouble in the 1st place. When I used timeout with my children I never gave them a time limit. I would instruct them to go into their room and come out again whenever they could compose themselves and interact with others without being disruptive. They could rejoin the household whenever they could enjoy it but until then they could stay in their room and cry or shout or vent in whatever way they needed to. If we were at a park or a zoo I would send them to sit at a picnic table or a bench until they could realize that being unpleasant and unhappy was really a waste of a beautiful day. Sometimes my boys would be in timeout for less than a minute and sometimes half an hour but they almost always were happier when they rejoined us. Occasionally, they would come out too soon and have to go back into timeout but for the most part they used the time well and it was a useful tool. A few times over the years I had to put myself in timeout and the boys understood that I just needed some time in my room to compose myself and prepare to react to things appropriately.

     I just realized today while soaking in my hot sudsy bath that no one ever interrupts my bath anymore. I don’t get knocks on the door, or texts or phone calls. I could sit in the tub for hours and no one would try to find me. No one would even notice that my skin was all pruney afterward. I started to think about how disconnected my life is from everyone else these days and thought that maybe Unis has put me in timeout.  It’s been over two years since anyone has asked me how my day went or inquired about what I had for lunch. We all know that even when people ask these questions they’re usually just making conversation and don’t honestly care about how your day was.  They do, however, care enough about you to seem interested and enough to make conversation with you. I used to complain when people invited themselves over and also when they invited me over. I just didn’t have time to do everything I needed to do and then do things that other people wanted me to do. I’m a ‘yes’ person so I almost always did whatever people asked me to do wether it was coming over for dinner or helping them paint their house. To me they were about the same and really only inconvenient because they had to be squeezed into my schedule. I always had phone calls to try to return and text messages to answer and dozens of voice mails I needed to at least erase if I wasn’t going to listen to them.  

     Now I have no interruptions. Not only does no one ask about my day but no one really interacts with me at all. The people I see the most are people at work that aren’t in my life except at work. The people that used to send me funny texts or call to make plans or update me on their daily lives aren’t part of my life at all since I started working full time. Not one single person cares about my weight, not one single person notices if I get enough sleep or enough to eat. Not one single person listens to me talk or tells me about anything that is happening with them. I am on my own. Every decision is mine and every burden is mine. I’m like a social hermit. I don’t even have small talk to pass the time. Not only does no one care how my life is going but not one single person notices.
    
     Unis has put me in timeout and I suppose it’s up to me to come out and interact with people when I can do so happily and without disrupting others. I do see that it was a nice ‘problem’ to have to try and fit all of the people in my life into my schedule but I am also trying to enjoy this time to check in and get in touch with the real me.
    
     Where am I going from here and how long will I take to figure out when to interact again? I don’t know. I feel lonely and uncared for a lot but there’s really nothing wrong with that. It’s a natural human response. I’ve always been happy on my own reading or watching clouds or simply observing the world and that’s still true. It’s just that before it was my choice and now it’s that my life isn’t connected with anyone else’s life except peripherally. I’m staying in timeout until I know what I want to do. That may take awhile but I’m willing to use this time away as long as it takes.
    
      Right now I am like the 5 year old that goes off and pouts and pouts and realizes no one is going to come and talk them out of their self-imposed pouting corner and then realizes that no one has even noticed that they’re gone.