Have you ever experienced that someone you once knew well, suddenly hasn’t been keeping in touch? How did you feel? Did you feel rejected by their apparent lack of interest. Did you send them a text or pick up the phone? Or did you think, they can call me! Too often we take another’s silence as personal rejection, instead of pausing to consider what might be going on in his/her life.

Loneliness and happiness are rarely companions; when one appears, the other tends to leave the premises. Humans are by nature social creatures. When we are feeling sad or lonely, other people’s joy and laughter can feel like weapons, sent to mock our own sense of isolation from the world. On the other hand, rediscovering a sense of happiness can make loneliness feel like a thing of the past, almost instantly; our troubles seem more manageable; life feels worth living.

How does one state become the other; and how can a helping hand be offered to those who feel cut off from the world? 

Many people are happy to spend time alone; it can be enriching to spend quiet time thought or contemplation or simply to feel free to enjoy personal space without interruption. Alone time and loneliness are different things. Being alone is a choice, where as loneliness feels more like cut adrift. 

At the heart of someone’s loneliness may be lies the inability to share emotions or trust other people; beneath the outer shell may lie a lack of self confidence. It ca be difficult to ask for help when you are feeling so alone.