Loneliness is an emotion that almost everyone feels but wants to avoid. Loneliness is an inevitable emotion though. No matter how many supporting friends or family we have we tend to feel like we no one can quite understand us. I know everyone thinks of loneliness as a negative emotion but I tend to have a different perception of what loneliness means to me.
College and post breakups are times where most will feel lost and lonely. They are confused about what they want to do with their life or how they want to take take control of it. We face obstacles in our life and let that deter us from what really matters. For those who feel a constant struggle to connect with their inner selves and their purpose in life, I am here to tell you that loneliness can help you find yourself and perfect self-love.
Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that you should always be lonely and not enjoy the company that you have around you. I am saying that when your lonely use that time to better yourself in every aspect. Focusing on you is a very important step in growing as a person. We often latch on to love ones or jump into relationships to avoid feeling lonely, but what we often miss out on is the time we need to ourselves to find who we truly are.
There came a time where I felt like nothing was going right in my life, I had just got out of a relationship and although I had friends and family to comfort me and keep me company I still felt that there was something missing. I felt that there was a part of me that I had not begun to explore. I never used my down moments and turned them into times of enlightenment. Instead I drowned in melancholy and thought I would be lonely forever. It was not until recently when I felt that instead of feeling down and thinking about the negative times in my life, I could use this time to myself to get to know me better. I wrote down just about everything that I noticed about myself, both negative and positive aspects. I noticed what I could change about myself not for anyone else, but for the betterment of me.
Loneliness does not always have to be perceived as negative, in fact if you find yourself in a predicament like this use it to your advantage. Take that time to reflect on what kind of person you are. Use that time to go over things such as what interest you, what makes you mad, what you like to do in your free time, and what goals you want to accomplish. All of these questions are what contribute to our individual growth.Whatever you may be feeling lonely or down about don’t fret it. Instead of dwelling on it use that as time to focus on you. Learn to love your own company.