Loneliness: Questions to Ask

In a world where we are more connected than ever, loneliness is more of a problem than I believe it has ever been before. As you read this blog post, you will probably find it is filled with more questions than answers. Part of change is creating awareness. I hope this post makes you think, and take a look into your own life and why you might feel lonely.

Loneliness is not always about being alone

I was working through a Bible study recently and the author (Jennifer Rothschild) was talking about loneliness and said that being lonely is not always because we’re alone but because we feel isolated in our circumstances/situations. I thought this was quite powerful and got my mind going about the “loneliness” problem that I see happening in so many of my clients’ lives.

How can we be in such a “connected” society and yet feel so alone? And is it that we are truly alone or are we isolated? With that, as I look back at her quote, could it be more that we are isolating ourselves in our circumstances rather than truly being without people? And if we are without people in our lives, is there anything we can do about it?

Questions to ask yourself if you find yourself feeling lonely…

Are you…

…showing your true self to the world?

…reaching out?

…being vulnerable and allowing others to support you?

…putting on an act like you have it all together?

…allowing others grace in relationships when they mess up?

…spending more time in an online community than you are spending in person with others?

All of this to say, there are definitely people who are putting forth effort and because of certain dynamics, find themselves without a support structure. My heart goes out to those individuals and I truly hope that we are each looking for those individuals around us and offering community to them.

If you struggle with loneliness, or building a support structure, contact us to allow us to journey through this struggle with you and learn new ways to develop a healthy support system.

Also, watch this video where I talk more about loneliness.