Loneliness

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The Loneliness You Experience With Endometriosis

Loneliness is there in all of us. For all different situations. When you are constantly in pain or ill, it’s a type of loneliness that some people can’t describe. I look around and see so many people my age having the time of their lives. They are getting married, having children, going on holidays and [...]

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Brian Fu

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Depression

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This Common Feeling Is Also My Biggest Trigger for a Depressive Episode

Lately, I’ve been feeling pretty good about myself. Life has been unusually calm and stable. I just graduated from college so I’ve had that as a reason to celebrate. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is lightening a bit (as of the writing of this article), and being fully vaccinated makes me feel safer to be outside. [...]

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photo of child with blonde hair, wearing gloves and covering face and eyes, posing in front of a blurry forest background

Roz Littwin

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Anxiety

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How My Childhood Loneliness Grew Into Anxiety

My childhood home was a desperately lonely place. Feeling alone in a family of five causes an exquisite, agonizingly counter-intuitive kind of emotional pain. I did not feel I was accepted nor belonged. And this set a lifelong pattern of struggling to fit in anywhere, often feeling slightly out-of-place, regularly changing jobs, accommodation and relationships [...]

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Nox Cinis Caelum WonderPup

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@puppy_nox

Self Discovery Workshop 4h

Just one list of journal prompts I did this week

Emotional Processing

1. What's been the most challenging part of this transition/change for me?

Nox: Having to keep track of everything and make calls and coordinate appointments. The meds change has been pretty taxing. But the hardest part of all is having to put so much energy in without getting anything in return, such as going out and having fun.

2. How have I been feeling lately? Try to describe it in as much detail as possible.

Nox: Completely drained, feeling like I’m chasing my tail. The depression from the negative medical news is draining and I still have to put all my energy into going to appointments and talking to doctors so I can answer their questions. I feel like I’m trapped in my body. I feel like I have no exit from this roller coaster. I’m also extremely lonely.

3. What are some emotions that I've been avoiding or trying to suppress?

Nox: Panic and paranoia. Dread.

Coping Mechanisms

1. What coping strategies have I used in the past to deal with difficult situations?

Nox: Talking to friends and my therapist. Listening to music, cooking and baking, meditating, arts and crafts.

2. Are there any new coping mechanisms I'd like to try?

Nox: I’m curious about crocheting.

3. What self-care activities can I incorporate into my daily routine?

Nox: I can do more mindful tea rituals.

Reframing Perspective

1. What's one positive aspect of this transition/change that I can focus on?

Nox: Now that I know what’s happening, I can focus on treating the underlying problems.

2. How can I reframe my negative thoughts about this situation?

Nox: I have good doctors that are taking good care of me.

3. What would I say to a friend who's going through a similar experience?

Nox: I would ask them what I can do to best support them through this trying time.

Goal Setting

1. What's one small goal I can achieve today to help me feel more in control?

Nox: I can schedule transportation to Binson’s for Monday so I can get the compression stockings.

2. What's something I've been putting off that I need to tackle?

Nox: The only thing I’ve been putting off is getting the compression stockings.

3. What's one step I can take today to move forward?

Nox: Delete number three.

Self-Compassion

1. What would I say to myself if I were a compassionate friend?

Nox: Let’s go out for coffee.

2. What's one thing I can do today to practice self-care?

Nox: I’m gonna make a really special coffee drink today.

3. What's something I'm proud of accomplishing, no matter how small it may seem?

Nox: I did really well in the Draw Me school when I was younger

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I moved to a new city for college and have been living on my own. There, I met a few peopleI thought would be my friends. I'm socially awkward and shy, and I never want to make anyone feel bad because of me.

For a long time, I believed I was part of their friend group. I genuinely liked them, made an effort to engage, and tried to be a good friend. But recently, I realized they never really saw me the same way. They became very close to each other, spending their free time together, while I constantly felt excluded.

Despite that, I tried my best to engage with them. I asked a lot of questions to get to know them better, to feel included. But no matter what I did, nothing seemed to work. It was exhausting. Eventually, I decided to take a break from trying so hard. I stopped asking questions, stopped "pestering" them, and pulled back. But it was difficult because they were always focused on each other—it felt wrong to try and insert myself into their conversations.

When I distanced myself, they didn’t say or do anything. It was as if nothing had changed for them. Still, after some time, I wanted to give it another shot. But when I did, I noticed they were giving me bad energy—side-eyes, cold vibes, straight-up ignoring me even when I was standing right next to them.

At first, I thought maybe I was just overthinking. I tend to do that sometimes. But after months of this treatment, I couldn’t take it anymore. I finally messaged one of them, asking:

"Hey, maybe I'm just overthinking again, but have I done something wrong?

Are you mad at me?

I really hope I haven't upset you, but if I have, I'm sorry! That was never my intention. Sometimes I struggle to realize if I've said or done something wrong, so if I did, please know it wasn’t on purpose. Again, I’m sorry!"

They said they weren’t mad at me, but they found me annoying because I ask a lot of questions but apparently don’t share enough about myself. They said it also bothered them when I responded with things like "I wish I had that" or "I hope I could be like that," because they found it frustrating instead of seeing it as me showing interest.

The message didn’t feel like an attempt to fix things—it felt like a justification for why they had been treating me like I didn’t exist.

And that hurt. I cried the whole day. Because I thought I was doing everything right. I didn’t want to overshare about myself and come off as self-centered. I thought I was being a good listener. But apparently, I was just bothering them.

And it wasn’t just this one person—I realized the same energy was coming from the others, too. Like they had already decided I didn’t belong. And now, I can’t shake the feeling that they’ve been talking about me behind my back because I got the same energy from all of them.

I feel stupid for putting so much energy into people who never really wanted me there in the first place. So I’ve decided to just... exist. I won’t try to fix things. I won’t go out of my way to be around them. I won’t chase after people who don’t want me.

But right now, I feel lonely. I don't want to justify my bad behavior, but even though, in their eyes, I was bothering them, shouldn't they have said something? In my opinion, the conversation felt like they wanted to justify distancing from me rather than wanting to solve any issue.

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Esme

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@beambeam

Staying positive

I tried getting up earlier than I normally do since I'm unemployed. I was able to start my day earlier but its hard to be "proud" of myself because I didn't do much throughout the day. I was, however, able to make an appointment to see a doctor and hopefully see an endocrinologist about my thyroid. (I might also talk about antidepressants). I was also called today for another job interview. They called today and I had the interview today. During the short call I didn't get a good "vibe" but I went anyways. I seriously thought I dont want this job, but I was going to at least get more experience with interviewing. I noticed I was starting to judge the people at the office very harshly and I don't like that about myself. At the end, I left thinking I would feel good working there if I am hired.
I also went to the dog park by myself. I noticed that one of the reasons I'm walking away from this relationship is because I feel so lonely. I'm still here living with him and I brought up going to the dog park like I have other times and he obviously didn't want to go. So I said f*** it, i need to go alone. I'm glad I pushed myself to go alone. I felt sad and lonely but i know I just have to learn to be okay with being alone.

(Clearly I'm using this space as a journal so sorry for the long posts)

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Ayaa

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@redladybug8

Solitary as an oyster 🦪

Loneliness is probably one of the worst emotions people can experience. People normally say that every emotion provides us with a purpose, sadness allows you to take advantage of your happy days and value it more. Anger allows you to release any built-up tension, regret gives you a sense of direction? Loneliness on the other hand creates a big empty void within you. It feels like you have an invisible hole in your chest and you wait for someone to close that hole, to stitch you back up, so you can continue living life fully. But how will they notice the hole if it is invisible? And before you know it, the hole grows and grows till it consumes you completely and you end up as a loss, as just another failed individual. You can mask; pretend the hole does not exist and become that ‘social butterfly’, but ignoring the wound is not going to allow it to heal, the hole will still remain there but will ultimately grow slowly like a deadly tumour.

Almost everything in life comes in pairs; the sun has the moon, the sea meets the shore, and even silence has its echoes. So what am I longing for? What is there to fill this empty void? Is it something that is within my reach?

Animals, humans and plants all have a partner to complete a ‘pair’ to provide a sense of purpose, so where is my other half?

Maybe some of us are defects, the odd ones out, and we’re not meant to last long, because why would you want to keep a defect if it serves no purpose? Even if it does serve a purpose, it is not like the others, it doesn’t behave or act like the rest do, so why keep hold of them? Life feels like that sometimes, like being the leftover use of water in the sink twirling around before being completely drained through and ending up in an unfamiliar destination.

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Loneliness 3d

My loneliness is a quiet ache, like an empty room where the silence is overwhelming. It's the absence of connection, a constant longing for something—or someone—that's no longer there. The world moves on, but I'm stuck, waiting for a warmth that never comes.

#Loneliness #Depression #MightyTogether

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Selene

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@mercurialgirl29

Daily Reflections and Journals 3d

I believe that we are lonely not because we have no friends, but because we do not reach out first.

Do not forget that you have to take the first step, and then the world will come to you. - Haemin Sunim

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MyStoryMatters 5d

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How Do You Say "Lost" in Every Language?

I speak four languages fluently. Spanish, Guarani, Portuguese, and English. In college, I took a semester of French and wandered through Paris, piecing together phrases from my lessons, testing the limits of my tongue. But fluency is a fickle thing—it’s not just about words, but about being understood. And if that’s the case, have I ever truly been fluent in anything?

I was born in Paraguay, a country where Guarani became an official language in 1992. By then, I was already 8 years old, but my journey with Guarani had started long before. Long before it was accepted. Long before it was allowed.

My mother forbade me from speaking it. She wanted my Spanish to be perfect, untarnished. Guarani, to her, was a limitation. To me, it was a door. One that led to friendship, to belonging, to a world just beyond my reach.

So, I learned it in secret. A tiny act of rebellion, a desperate grasp at connection. I don’t even remember how I found a Guarani dictionary, but I did. And I poured over it, memorizing the words like they were spells, hoping they would conjure a place for me among my peers.

But language does not guarantee belonging.

I learned Guarani because I wanted friends.

And I still had none.

I was the weird one—too much, too intense, too hyperactive, too… wrong. I wouldn’t understand why until decades later, when at 29, I was diagnosed with ADHD. And now, at 41, I am certain that I sit somewhere on the autism spectrum too. But back then, I had no labels. Just rejection.

So, I turned inward. If no one would speak to me, I would listen.

That’s how I learned Portuguese—not in conversation, not in friendship, but in isolation. My bedroom became my sanctuary, my television my companion. I grew up on the border of Brazil, where six different Brazilian channels played for free, their voices filling the silence where friendships should have been.

I absorbed Portuguese like a sponge, the way I had with Guarani. But this time, not out of rebellion, not out of hope, but out of loneliness.

Guarani was the language I learned because I longed for friendship.

Portuguese was the language I learned because I had none.

At 16, I left Paraguay. The United States swallowed me whole, and suddenly, English wasn’t a choice—it was a lifeline. I learned it the way one learns to swim after being thrown into the ocean: desperately, without grace, without a moment to think.

And yet, no matter how many languages I carried in my mouth, I still found myself misunderstood.

Fluency is not the same as connection.

I could translate words, conjugate verbs, construct perfect sentences. But the rhythm of human interaction, the invisible rules of friendship, the art of simply belonging—those things never came easily to me.

Instead, I became hyper-focused on romantic relationships, believing that love could fill the spaces friendship never did. But even there, I faltered. I was present, but never fully invested. I loved, but never stayed. No relationship lasted beyond two years. The pattern repeated itself in jobs, homes, entire cities. I was always moving. Searching.

And then, there’s the greatest irony of all—I speak multiple languages, yet I struggle to communicate.

Not because I lack the words. I have too many words. But I never learned the ones that matter most—the ones that make people stay, the ones that make them understand me, the ones that turn conversation into connection.

How do you say “lost” in every language?

Because that’s the word I know best.

#MyStoryMatters #sharingmytruth #breakingthesilence #unspokenwords #writingtoheal #neurodivergentvoices #adhdawareness #AutismAcceptance #invisiblestruggles #mentalhealthmatters #EndTheStigma #lostintranslation #languageandloneliness #youarenotalone #healingthroughwords #Findingmyvoice #fromsilencetostrength #writingthroughpain #multilingualmisfit #fluentbutmisunderstood #thepowerofwords