What Not to Say When Someone Tells You They Feel Lonely
And three things you could say instead.
Lonely. We’ve all felt it at some point in our lives. Whether it comes knocking on our door in the form of a divorce, an argument with our best friend, a death or even just sitting alone in the lunchroom —loneliness is an isolating feeling. It feels like standing on the edge of a cliff, yelling for someone to hear you but the world just goes on, as if you’re invisible.
I am the type of person who likes to be alone. I like to disappear into the woods for days at a time with only myself to keep me company. And if given the choice between going out with friends or spending the evening by myself, 49 out of 50 times you’ll find me happily tucked away in my apartment — going through my hiking gear for the thousandth time, digesting the latest documentary on Netflix or making another mess in my attempt to master fluid art painting (which I’m probably never going to get the hang of, but whatever). I like being alone.
However, feeling lonely is a completely different conversation.
A few years ago I went through a traumatizing relationship that ended at the exact moment I found out the man I’d poured my soul into for the previous two years was not only married but also the most manipulative liar I’d ever met. When that…
