There’s a taboo on talking about our bowel movement, as I wrote in my previous blog ‘shit happens’. Sadly there’s also a taboo on loneliness. To reveal loneliness seems like an admission of failure. Admitting being lonely is like admitting being a loser. Everyone goes through times of loneliness at least once in their life, and often, they feel it much more than that. In the worst case scenario loneliness can lead to social isolation. The truth is that loneliness is nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately it’s not rare. It is a recognized problem among the elderly, but shocking as this is there’s also a huge amount of loneliness among young adults. This epidemic is a problem that blights so many lives. Lonely people tend with drawl them self, but all they really want is to connect. Study’s has shown loneliness impacts on health in a greater way than smoking or obesity.
There’s a difference between being lonely and being alone. I rather be alone, than lonely in a bad relationship. I read somewhere: ‘Being alone is a state of being; loneliness is a state of mind.’ Of course, there are those times when being alone interconnects with being lonely. Realizing I am blessed with lots of dear friends and family helps me to cope with this feeling.
Due to having more than average vacation time as a part-time teacher, being ‘childless-not-by- choice’ and not having a partner at the moment compared to others I have lots of alone time. Let’s face it, parenting takes a lot of time; time experts say that it takes eight hours a day to raise two children to the age of 18. Even though I have a huge network of friends to hang out with and really appreciate alone time, at times there are moments that I wish that there is someone around to spend time with. On ocassion I am more aware of the void of a life without children. But as they say, time mellows even the hardest soul and I realize that there are cons and pros to every situation. -by Bregje
my SITE of the story 