The Truth Is We All Feel Lonely (So Why Won’t We Talk About It?)

Loneliness

Slowly it creeps up on us, always lurking somewhere behind the scenes waiting to pounce at just the right moment to devour us.

Have you ever felt consumed in loneliness? Every day at school or work would you observe the crowds circulating around you and wish someone would stop to notice your light has diminished? Has the world abandoned you, erasing all traces of you so it feels like a ghost haunting the homes of ex-lovers and ex-friends’ hearts?

Well, you aren’t alone.

Isn’t it strange how so many of us can feel desperately lonely yet we’re always so isolated within the purgatory of loneliness? Shouldn’t we attempt to muster up the strength and try to be brave enough to speak out about how we feel? Loneliness is something very close to my heart as it’s something I’ve battled with most of my life. Sometimes the worst form of loneliness isn’t eating your lunch in the school bathrooms because you’ve been ditched by your friends (although from experience I can definitely say, that sucks) but perhaps the most painful times are those moments when you are laughing with the people who are supposed to be your friends and the sickening realisation hits you that you don’t find the punchline so hilarious. Maybe it’s when you suddenly realize your friends aren’t really your friends after all…you barely know them and they barely understand you. Maybe the worst part is simply spending all day with people and when you finally get home you realize how numb you feel.

Almost all of us will feel loneliness swallowing us at some point in our lives, so why won’t we talk about it?

I think it’s the stigma attached to it. In an age of social media we’re expected to have flourishing social circles and when our lives aren’t as perfect as we feel it should be then we’re embarrassed. We bottle it up and do our best to conceal the truth of just how lonely we feel inside.

However, if you never let the pain out things will only get worse. You deserve to have individuals in your life who make you feel happy and understood, but most of all, you deserve to feel whole within yourself, instead of feeling like a dark hollow abyss is growing inside your chest.

So if you’re feeling alone, accept the feeling instead of trying to brush it away. Talk to someone, if there’s nobody you feel comfortable enough to chat to then try calling a helpline (some even have text messaging services for those of you who struggle to communicate through the phone). You aren’t alone in the battle against loneliness, you can find your fellow warriors.