There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Many folks are alone and in fact they lead a very happy lives. Being lonely or loneliness is not about being physically all alone by yourself. It is a feeling of isolation and how they evaluate it.
We all do experience loneliness at times. But what makes it harmful is when we start to isolate ourselves too much. Humans as sociable animals, they need a certain level of interaction with others. For most people, pleasures that contribute to their happiness is surprisingly not wealth, fame or even physical health. For them. they rate love, intimacy and social affiliation.
According to one finding, social isolation has an impact on ones health’ comparable to high blood pressure, obesity, lacked of exercise or smoking. Furthermore, chronic feeling of isolation can cause one to age faster.
I have read somewhere that no one is actually truly isolated or alone. You have company within you. It’s just that we don’t realize it.
Personally I enjoy both being by myself, and also being around other people. It is just that I don’t depend on other people being around for my happiness. But if you can find someone special to share your life with, go for it. Go out and mingle. It doesn’t matter how old you are.
I’m sure you have heard of George Bernard Shaw‘s quote: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” So, start socializing and celebrate life while you still can.
One good book you should check out is “Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection” by research psychologist John T. Cacioppo. It explores the the physical and emotional impact of loneliness.
In the meantime, let these feeling lonely quotes to accompany you, as you read through them.
“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.” – Orson Welles
“Don’t keep a man guessing too long – he’s sure to find the answer somewhere else.” – Mae West
“Language… has created the word “loneliness” to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.” – Paul Tillich
“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” – Lois Lowry
“With some people solitariness is an escape not from others but from themselves. For they see in the eyes of others only a reflection of themselves.” – Eric Hoffer
“It is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington
“Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony.” – Douglas Coupland
“If you are afraid of being lonely, don’t try to be right” – Jules Renard
“It would do the world good if every man would compel himself occasionally to be absolutely alone. Most of the world’s progress has come out of such loneliness.” – Bruce Barton
“All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.” – Jean de la Bruyere
“We live as we dream–alone….” – Joseph Conrad
“Some nights are made for torture, or reflection, or the savoring of loneliness.” – Poppy Z. Brite
“Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone.” – Octavio Paz
“Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine. – Honoré de Balzac
“We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone.” – Orson Welles
“Don’t cry for a man who’s left you, the next one may fall for your smile.” – Mae West
“Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.” – Henry David Thoreau
“It is far better to be alone than to wish you were.” – Ann Landers
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