Steps to Embracing Your Loneliness

 Steps to Embracing Your Loneliness

1. Confront your Deepest Fears 

Loneliness can be a product of the fundamental fear of separation that goes back to infancy. Separation means being vulnerable, having no one to rely on except yourself. This is the loneliness that realizes that in the end, there is nothing between you and the stars, no one to rescue you. That sort of existential fear can be scary. What are your deepest fears about being lonely? Identify them, acknowledge them, and take away some of their power over you. 

 

2. Use Self-Actualizing Practices to Overcome Loneliness

  Techniques like yoga, tai chi, and meditation can help you reconnect with your deepest self. Sitting alone in meditation separates you from the negative thought spirals and feelings that can make you feel so miserable.

 A loving-kindness meditation practice can help you replace feelings of separation with feelings of love and connection. Give it a try: 

Sit quietly and focus on your breath.

 Breathe in, think ‘May I be happy.’ 

Breathe out, think ‘May I be loved.’ 

Breathe in, think ‘May all my suffering be healed.’ 

Breathe out, think ‘May I be at peace.’ 

Eventually, repeat the mantra, thinking of people who may be lonely at this time, replacing ‘I’ with ‘you.’ Finish by sending positive thoughts to all beings and repeating ‘May all beings be happy. May all beings be loved. May the suffering of all beings be healed. May all beings be at peace.’ 

This simple practice helps you feel connected to all of life whenever you do it.