I feel the article does a poor job of summarizing the problem with loneliness (the diff between a need for socialization and one's ability to receive it) and solitude (the act of being alone). We all have a different need for aloneness, our buckets of social contact are of varying depth and, at different times, feel fuller or less full.
The best thing to do, IMHO, is to look inside and ask yourself what it is you want to feel less lonely:
- Are you feeling lonely because you are escaping a feeling or because you need to connect and you cannot?
- Is there something you can do today so your future self is not feeling lonely?
- Can you focus on upcoming engagements to feel comfortable being alone today?
- Are there people you can text a quick "hi" to fill that sense of longing, even just momentarily?
- Are there little pleasures that you've been neglecting that might only be done when you're alone?
It's not simple but the idea of looking inwards is easier than pretending to be a whale. ;)
The best thing to do, IMHO, is to look inside and ask yourself what it is you want to feel less lonely:
- Are you feeling lonely because you are escaping a feeling or because you need to connect and you cannot? - Is there something you can do today so your future self is not feeling lonely? - Can you focus on upcoming engagements to feel comfortable being alone today? - Are there people you can text a quick "hi" to fill that sense of longing, even just momentarily? - Are there little pleasures that you've been neglecting that might only be done when you're alone?
It's not simple but the idea of looking inwards is easier than pretending to be a whale. ;)