There is a difference between ‘loneliness’ and ‘being alone’. Despite this, many people use these words interchangeably and let’s face it, there are social pressures telling you that you should feel lonely if you are alone. This includes people showing pity towards you simply because you are not married or are 'still single', which is more apparent in some cultures than others.
What’s ironic is that many people experience much more loneliness through being with people than being alone. In particular, when you don’t feel understood by the people around you.
There are many perks to being ‘alone’. Firstly your time is your own, it can be a great opportunity to focus on learning something new and pushing for your goals whether it’s related to career, health or learning a new craft to nourish your soul. Your living space can be curated to your own style and you can fully embrace it, and there is nothing wrong with treating yourself to gifts, ones that you actually love! From regular flowers, to chocolates and fine wine, to treating yourself to the uplifting Inside Out Beauty Set from Arganic!
So what is loneliness? Perhaps it’s feeling unloved or as though that there is no one out there who understands you. In parallel, the feeling of having no purpose in life can accentuate this.
Do you have people around who love you? Of course you do but perhaps you need a reminder. Never forget you are an important and a valuable piece of the jigsaw puzzle of life and that there are likely to be many people who you inspire and whose life you add value to, even if you are not fully aware of it!
Stuck with purpose? Don’t worry and don’t force it, these things tend to fall into place as you seek them. A good and foolproof place to start is by helping others, the feeling of being needed and being able to help is valuable and rewarding, it can often lead you to forget about your own worries! Speaking of which, supporting a food bank right now is a good start. We really recommend the incredible Felix Project who are taking donations as well as volunteers to help out.
Whatever situation you are in, it’s safe to say that it will never be picture perfect but you can make the most of it and embrace every day! As with most things, it’s your outlook not the situation which matters!
Have you tried fully embracing being alone? You may surprise yourself at how much you actually love it!
