Lonesome…
Shine a light on your loneliness. Then, evolve.
I learned a valuable lesson dealing with loneliness. I discovered something about myself that had been holding me back for more than two months. I used to hate being alone. If I was left alone at home, at work, or even when friends separated during a distance, I was weighed down my loneliness.
The weight brought on questions like, “am I even worth it? Do I matter? Why me?”
These are questions I asked, among others, for a long time. It wasn’t until I started asking “why” and looking through my past for answers.
Why did I feel lonely? Why did I hate being alone? Why did I get depressed or anxious when alone?
I learned two things from loneliness:
- Ask what is causing the loneliness (search your entire life for examples of the same feeling in different moments).
- Ask why you still hold onto these feelings, even though that moment has passed.
These two steps changed my life.
I spend some of the time “alone,” but I no longer see being alone as a punishment or potential negative situation full of depression or anxiety. I see my alone time as an opportunity to better myself, my craft, or the world around me. When I asked what and why of my loneliness, it eventually gave me a reason why it still haunted me. And as most people know, once you point a flashlight at the monster under the bed, we realize it’s an old jacket, not a creature wanting to eat us. Shine a light on your loneliness. Figure out what’s causing it and why it’s causing it. Then, evolve.
