Spending time on your own can be something very rewarding, but what happens when you are forced to be alone for extended periods of time? What about if you spent all that time seeing others happy around you, spending time with their friends and loved ones?
It can be very easy to start to feel like you are completely isolated and alone, especially when you do see all your friends out living their best life. Add to that the lack of communication you may have with your friends and suddenly you have a nasty concoction of self-doubting.
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You are not alone
I know it may feel like it after watching everyone around you be festive and social, but chances are that if you are going through something like this, then someone else will be going through the same thing, you may just not know it.
The biggest problem with isolation is that you aren't in communication with other people as much as you'd like, hence you are unaware of anyone else going through the same thing.
Self-isolation
Depending on where you live in the world, you may or may not have gone through a period of isolation from 2020 to 2022. If you are like me and live in Australia, you may have gone through 2 years of lockdown in fact. During this time, you may have felt extremely alone and isolated.
Although you went through this time and came out on the other side, it doesn't mean that you are used to that isolation. If anything, you may actually fear being in this type of isolation again for any amount of time.
"But I don't have a choice"
There are so many reasons people have to isolate themselves from other people, and many aren't by choice. Some reasons for isolation include:
- Having the spicey cough (we all know the one)
- A medical condition that affects one's ability to drive
- A medical condition that causes someone to stay inside
- A fear of going outside
- Someone anti-social and introverted who don't have many friends and family
- Depression
- Unemployed people may also feel embarrassed about their situation or not be able to afford to travel anywhere
There are more reasons than those listed above, and believe me that whatever reason it is that you are isolated from those around you, I am sending you all my love and compassion.
What can you do to keep from being lonely in self-isolation?
When you are isolated from physically being with people, you may want to try communicating with people online if you are able to. Although chatting through a phone or computer isn't as good as the real thing, it will give your social needs a boost.
Finding a new pen pal is a tried and true way to expand your friendship circle. You could connect with someone down the road or someone across the planet, the options are massive.
Other ways to keep from being lonely are to keep yourself occupied, do your favourite hobby, take up a new hobby or do an activity that focuses on a lot of brain function and power. This will mean that you put your energy into the task at hand, rather than letting it wander and realising you are alone.
Does self-isolation impact self-love?
Self-love is based on providing the needs to yourself that make you happy and putting your needs above all else. Self-love is about being happy with who you are and all that you are.
Being isolated often leads to a lot of time being alone with yourself and your thoughts. Although I encourage alone time, there is a difference between scheduling alone time with yourself and being alone all the time.
When you are alone for extended periods of time not by choice, you may start to question many things about yourself. If left unchecked, this can often lead to doubt about your choices.
How do you continue your self-love journey when you are isolated?
Remember that self-love is a journey, there will be ups and downs and there will be times when it will be difficult and you have to actively accept yourself. Find yourself in your hobbies and interests, dive deep into things that bring you joy and loving yourself will become easier.
*This is not the original post, the original post can be found here
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