You can be in a crowded room and feel the loneliest you've ever felt.
Or you can lay in bed at night and feel the lonely cage of darkness envelop your emptiness.
Either way,
the most recent issue of O Magazine points out that
at any given time at least one in five people suffers from
loneliness.
Even more startling,
feeling lonely regularly can increase your risk of mortality up to 45%.
In fact, all the research says that the people you encounter on a regular basis who appear to be anything but lonely are the very ones who suffer the most.
Come on, you've been at a party with a forced smile pasted on your face
and all the while you're aching inside,
longing for the empty space of your own solitude
because it's far less painful to be physically alone
than to feel alone in a sea of chaos.
You fumble around in your purse.
There's gotta be a bandaid in here somewhere for this.
Ah, there it is.
Your phone. The screen that's doesn't see you.
The people on the other side who are unaware of your pain.
Your face relaxes because for one brief moment you don't have to pretend.
This is because loneliness comes from within
and can be triggered even in the most social of situations.
Moving to a new city, starting a new job,
breaking up,
or, as the growing phenomenon of social media grips its tentacles on socialization,
it could even be feeling so far apart from what the rest of world is doing.
All my friends are getting married and having babies.
Everyone else looks so happy.
People accomplish so much more than I do.
Intrigued with this taboo of a topic,
I did more research and found a very recent article from the Guardian
that says loneliness is a new epidemic, even more deadly than obesity.
But connections and relationships with others carry some risk, right?
Less risk than a heart attack without, guaranteed.
If you've ever acknowledged a bout of loneliness within, congratulations.
Use this as your vehicle to transport your way out of what easily develops into a chronic state.
Assess what makes you feel this way.
Recognize triggers that bring about this feeling.
When do you feel loneliest?
Admit it. Talk about it.
Then,
stay in touch.
Reach out to others.
SAY HELLO.
Join people doing things you don't usually do on your own.
A dodgeball tournament - what? SURE.
These are all acts of doing, not undoing or hiding.
"Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.
~John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
and salvage your distant relationships with friends and family.
~ L ~
