[syntheweave]

Animal companions are one way to help get out of the rut. And you can learn better from them if they're wild, not domesticated, though access is going to be limited: that's also the point. If you want to really get along with the world, it's right there in nature, you just have to demonstrate you can be trusted enough for other creatures to show themselves. We have elaborate socialization skills but we still behave in ways common to these other creatures, and so observing them explains things about ourselves that can't be verbally communicated.

Most importantly, when wild animals have a problem, they just run away. In civilization we are mostly taught that running is futile or shameful, and we should instead either normalize the bad situation or forcefully take control. But that can leave us in a sorry state as individuals, unable to acknowledge boundaries properly or grapple with fears and failings in their appropriate proportion, burying the abuses with whatever escapes present themselves. Self-talk can help with working out the bad ruminations that result: just list out loud what you want to do, and discuss it with yourself verbally instead of silently. When I do this my ability to discuss it with others improves remarkably.