With COVID-19 becoming pandemic globally, the discussion on loneliness has hit the limelight once again. Loneliness has become an epidemic globally with an increased number of people especially elders encountering this challenge. My heart goes out to the people who are infected with coronavirus and their families and to those who lost their employments. In this regard, we will discuss the pros and cons of loneliness, tips to overcome it, and leverage loneliness effectively to lead your life mindfully.
Loneliness is to feel alone, being unwanted and uncared by others. It is more especially in the elders in the developed nations. Research shows that more than a third of adults over 45 are lonely. Loneliness has entered the developing nations including India due to the growing number of nuclear families as the children are leaving their parents and migrating elsewhere for their survival and success.
Pros and Cons
Loneliness is both a boon and a bane for people. It depends on how people perceive it. Introverts enjoy it while extroverts abhor it. The research findings and statistics show for and against it. Here are the pros and cons of loneliness. You can pursue your passions but there is nobody to appreciate them. You have low expenses but no opportunity to share your emotions and feelings. You can sleep as you feel comfortable on your bed but no partner to have a spicy life. You have the freedom to choose your life but you don’t have any partner to have romance and sex. You get inner peace and pleasure but you cannot share them with others. You lead an exciting life but nobody cares for you if you ill. As excess of anything is evil extended loneliness may lead to mental illness.
How to Overcome Your Loneliness?
Loneliness offers innumerable opportunities if you perceive it positively and act proactively. You enjoy inner peace and happiness. You appreciate the power of solitude. You reflect a lot and take feedback. You excel as a better human. Having pets helps you overcome loneliness as they connect with you emotionally. Pets help you overcome depression and anxiety. Connect with your partner and have sex regularly. Connect with your friends and recall the golden memories. Here is a blueprint to overcome your loneliness. Set your goals to lead your life in the right direction. Remove negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts. Follow your forgotten hobbies. Engage in your domestic activities productively and creatively. Do exercises. Do meditation. Do yoga. Do gardening. Be mindful. Be positive. Be confident. Become a volunteer to serve others. Participate actively in the nonprofits to add value to society. In a nutshell, loneliness is a great opportunity to make a difference to your communities and societies.
Leverage Loneliness
Avoid negative self-talk. Be mentally strong and visualize with optimistic images in your mind. Understand what you can control and you cannot control in your life. Control what you can and develop an attitude about the things that you cannot control. Acquire an internal locus of control. If you use your loneliness creatively, you can become a scholar, thinker, author, philosopher, intellectual or leader. It is time for you to see the positive aspects of loneliness and leverage it effectively to excel as a better human useful to society. Nelson Mandela was jailed for 27 years but he did not lose his hope. He transformed as a better leader and ended apartheid in South Africa successfully.
Loneliness is an Integral Part of Life
A young person looks at the future, the middle-aged person looks at the present and the old person looks at the past. While traveling back to the past, the old person often compares the present with the past and finds in a different era that no longer exists leading to depression and anxiety. So, accept the realities of life. Be flexible and adaptable. Learn to live in the present to overcome loneliness to lead your life mindfully.
In the ancient age, saints and sages spent their time in solitude and acquired superpowers and transformed the world. Humans are gifted with an amazing power to imagine and transform the dust into gold. They can utilize their loneliness to build better communities and societies globally. To summarize, loneliness is an integral part of human life. Life is a gift from God. Enjoy it whether you live alone or with others. To conclude, understand the universal truth that you are born alone, live alone, and die alone. Life is great.
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