Loneliness can be Catchy
It may be inevitable to be lonely at certain points of life. The isolation that was thrust on us by way of the pandemic removed those social interactions that we didn’t even know to be grateful for because they were part of our lives for so long. The loneliness deepened as the decisions on how to handle it multiplied. Since there was no manual on how to handle our world, we punted with lots of quick-changing information and lack of experience. Due to our need to always look competent, we hid a lot of our inner doubts and followed whatever direction was supplied right before we were ready to give up for the day. It was right enough at the time.
The Loneliness Desert
It is easy to wallow and sink deeper into loneliness when we see others seeming to deal with it better. Living alone has times of loneliness that are completely expected. But living with others is often hard to explain as contributing to loneliness. Feeling all alone in the world can happen in a crowd. In fact, it seems a little more evident when we are surrounded. Working from home or having to make so many more decisions to leave the home contributed to the loneliness. The lack of communication was a result of not having worked many lonely overnight jobs. We didn’t have a chance to ease into the new roles. The oasis was just a mirage.
Executive Loneliness
Running a home is like running a business. You make decisions that affect many people, have to keep many variables in mind and still keep everything organized safely to work. Transitioning from thinking of being lonely to choosing more solitude demonstrates the benefit of how we see our freedom. Removing the negative thoughts about being alone lights up the joys of finding solitude. We used to complain about not having enough time to ourselves. Then we learned to complain about having to handle time alone. Shifting to that different state decreased the impact of feeling sorry for ourselves. As is regularly the case, reaching out when you feel alone is the exact method to use to fix it. It also gives the person you speak to the chance to verbalize their own lonely thoughts. The thoughts were only lonely because we lost the usual way of sharing them. It is actually a privilege to be with others; that’s why prisoners are put in solitary confinement. Being alone forces us to take stock and can motivate us to be happier to share life again. Reach out and touch someone is still a good slogan.
Replacing Loneliness
Monks spend a lot of time alone. Those who meditate love the chance to sneak away and stop interacting. Artists don’t like to have crowds around them when they create. It is natural to want to spend some time alone as a human being. That’s when we get to know ourselves. Those who rush around always searching for company may be afraid of being alone. So, be alone by choice. Turn off the gadgets. Avoid the entertaining distractions of life. Commune with you. Walk alone in nature. Get away. Since there haven’t been as many opportunities to do so in the last two years, using this time will mean more to you. You have changed. Time has changed. Enjoy both being with and without people and have it all.
Can you get alone by choice to see what it sounds like? Can you replace your loneliness concerns with the joy of solitude? Can you find another to share your executive decision time with to combat the feeling of being lonely for more than just yourself?
