Loneliness
Loneliness enters our life many times throughout our time on Earth. Sometimes we feel its presence in a brief, poignant way, and sometimes it takes up residence in our thoughts, feelings and behaviour for quite a long time.
Loneliness is often confused with Aloneness but it is different. We frequently choose to be alone but we seldom choose loneliness. It just seems to arrive of its own accord at times when we are alone because of circumstances that separate us from our usual friends, family or networks.
Loneliness may enter as a reminder to re-contact people or to put energy into new activities which open up new opportunities to make friends and relationships. Loneliness may also be the close friend of Grief. Perhaps you have suffered the loss of a significant person, relationship or a meaningful activity and you miss the security and comfort of familiar people and routines. It takes time to move on; however, speaking with someone about your loss and setting aside some time each day to cherish the memories will help to advance the mourning process.
Loneliness can hang out with a few other very difficult characters, namely Rejection, Shame and Perfectionism. Sometimes these neighbourhood bullies can team up with Loneliness and make your life an absolute misery! These guys are EXPERTS in getting you to think that you are unlovable, a dork, a nerd, incredibly stupid, socially inept, unattractive, have the family and friends from hell, most likely to be rejected, or have had experiences that will set you apart from all other human beings. They are unbelievably good at having you believe all this stuff about yourself.
If this situation is occurring on a regular basis then it's time to have a meeting with someone at the Counselling Service to discuss how to free your life from the bullying tirades which envelope you.