Weekly Prompt #18: Is loneliness a constant companion or an occasional visitor in your life?
Hello everyone, I hope you are all being easy on yourself this week.
Last week we discussed: How does depression influence your self-perception and self-esteem? Thank you to all who participated and shared their thoughts for discussion. I enjoyed them. I hope you all did too. If you didn't share yours, please share them here and I look forward to reading and discussing them with you.
This week's prompt: Is loneliness a constant companion or an occasional visitor in your life? How do you navigate its ebb and flow?
I wanted to start a discussion on how loneliness is affecting our lives. I look forward to hearing and discussing with you all!
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Extremely low some days felt horrible i felt like i have no hope i am a failed person i couldnt do anything in my life
@Mekuland3050 that sounds like you have been experiencing some really difficult days where low hope and feelings of failure have weighed heavily on you. Those emotions can be so hard to face alone. You aren't failing, though - you're still here, still persevering through each day, and that is so courageous. Please know that you aren't alone in struggling sometimes, and that these difficult moments don't define you or take away your worth. You've got this.
I've experienced loneliness quite often throughout my life and it's very intese
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It can definitely have a impact on your life in one way or another all types of loneliness are valid and important to talk about I've had many times with this including now in the present time ❤❤❤❤❤
I only get to speak out loud to my therapist, sometimes my mom. The years of silence are becoming too much to bear
@ASilentObserver i feel like i have been lonely a lot in my life, despite being surrounded by people. I´m overcoming it recently, learning to enjoy my own company when i´m alone, and trying my best to connect with people on a level i´m comfortable with when i´m not.
@ASilentObserver
Is loneliness a constant companion or an occasional visitor in your life?
For me, loneliness is a constant companion. I have a husband in the home and an adult daughter, and yet I am plagued by loneliness. It feels as though I am starved for human conversation and interaction. Most days, the phone is my only contact with people, except when I come online to 7cups.
How do you navigate its ebb and flow? Acceptance the best I can, knowing I can't really change this, I have to flow with the tide. I keep myself extremely busy doing cleaning and keeping my home in perfect shape or crafting to get my mind from focusing on the lack of or the need I so desire.
@WorkingitThrough2 Thank you for sharing about this constant companion of loneliness. It sounds like a difficult feeling to have even when surrounded by loved ones. I can understand wanting more human connection and interaction in your life. You mentioned keeping yourself busy through cleaning, crafting, and maintaining your home - is there anything else that has helped you feel less lonely in those moments, even if just for a short time?
@ASilentObserver
Obs, I wish I could say yes, but the only way I can keep myself and my mind out of the negative stuff is to Drive myself to Clean and make things as Perfect as Possible, which may be what I learned growing up. Everything had to be perfectly done to satisfy my mom. My church used to tell us that we can tell how close someone was to God by the way they kept their house.
All this embedded crape still holds me hostage. When I am still, memories plague my mind and then fear, and the rest is downhill. Then I have to struggle to get back on note.
@WorkingitThrough2 I hear how difficult those lonely moments can be for you, and how keeping yourself busy with cleaning helps keep your mind occupied. It sounds like those childhood memories still carry a lot of weight. You don't deserve to be held hostage by the past or fear. You are here now, doing your best each day. I am proud of you and believe in you.
@ASilentObserver
Obs, thank you. I know you are right. It has been and still is very hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
Yet I keep trying to hit the target🤔
Loneliness is one of the greatest ache in the world...
If you know, you know 😇
Sometimes there is grief, over all the time spent alone. And even of the deficits that have creeped in. As I notice how undeveloped as a human being I am, because of all the time spent alone. Sometimes I see it in my body. Sometimes there's nothing to process anymore and just a sober bleak acceptance, as I wait for the heavy feeling to change. Sometimes I can be scrolling youtube, or staring at nothing till 4 am, not able to do anything, nor sleep. It feels like constantly holding your breath, waiting for something. Paying careful attention, through tired eyes. Listening carefully to nothing, waiting for something to change, but you're not sure what. Sometimes I feel like I'm a mental case and don't know it. Sometimes I will just put on a reiki healing video to eye gaze the person in the video. Sometimes that becomes painful. Sometimes I don't know anything at all anymore.
@CompassionateDetective Loneliness can be difficult to endure. From what you've shared, it seems you've experienced feelings of isolation and emptiness for some time. You do not deserve to suffer alone. What brings you comfort in solitary moments provide some small relief?
@ASilentObserver Music and films seem to be the best comfort. Sometimes radio for the sense of shared listening experience. Also, observing animals is comforting. Even insects.
I'm lonely, and chronically. It's like existing in vacuum. It's terrible.
I've been struggling with this since 16. I'm 40 now. Single, live alone, and have moved too many times in the last 18 years in the hopes to overcome loneliness, but it followed me and grew deeper the more I tried to run away from it.
I have two cats- and they're helpful. Without them, I wouldn't be here. It's rough. I've tried everything, just not sure where my loneliness stems from. I'm not aware of the root cause and wish to have more insights and awareness
@alittlebirdintheattic That sounds incredibly lonely. Living with loneliness for so long must have been very difficult. You've tried many things over the years to find connection, yet the loneliness has remained. Perhaps exploring your experiences and feelings over time could provide some understanding. What kinds of insights into its root cause are you hoping to gain?