In these social distancing times, we tend to feel lonely. It is natural to yearn for personal contact and real meetings like old days.
But almost everyone in the world is feeling the same way! So in that sense we are not alone – we have company.
So what is the difference between being alone and feeling lonely? One is a state of being while the other is a feeling.
Nowadays, a lot of times we experience – being alone AND feeling lonely. Alone because we live in isolation and lonely because we are yearning for a real person to be with. When lonely, we could take action like calling up a friend or reading a book or doing some activity we enjoy. And we begin to feel better.
Sometime we may be alone but don’t feel lonely. We enjoy the solitude and are comfortable with ourselves. We may be at ease without doing anything and be at peace in our surroundings. We enjoy company, but don’t need it to feel good. I daresay, some of us may even feel energised when we are alone.
And at times we are neither lonely nor alone. We may be living with our large family. We could be doing something meaningful. We enjoy the chatter around us.
And there are times when we are not alone but still feel lonely. There is a feeling of helplessness as we yearn for something which we don’t understand or able to explain. This feeling lingers even after doing something you love – like speaking to a friend.
This could be a temporary feeling but if it occurs several times it is a good idea to speak to someone about it. We need to ensure that this feeling of loneliness is not becoming a general state of mind and it is only situation specific.
Practicing mindfulness meditation regularly gives you the clarity to understand different feelings and notice them so that you can seek timely help.
Click on the audio link below to practise a guided mindfulness meditation.
Bell The Mind 