Imagine Yourself Leaving Loneliness Behind W/Counselor, Matt Lawson

People need people. Loneliness can affect anyone, even someone in a room full of laughter and loved ones. It can be even more potent when we’ve lost a loved one, moved to a new area, or become isolated. However, being alone and being lonely is not necessarily the same thing. What’s the difference between enjoying a little alone time and lacking the necessary connection to others? How can we make sure that we and those around us have the connections we crave? Our guest, Matt Lawson, Licensed Professional Counselor has zoomed in on it for us.

· Loneliness and being alone have vast differences.

· All humans experience periods of loneliness.

· Being lonely or being alone is not always a bad thing.

The famous poet, William Wordsworth seemed to find delight in moments of solitude as well as in crowds of dancing daffodils. Take a walk through the thoughts of a pensive poet:

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Wordsworth seems to savor solitude, and although alone time can be truly beneficial, this podcast on loneliness might cause you to form new viewpoints on the power of and the need for human connections.

A just-released study says that Millennials are "The Loneliest Generation" and that a third of them say they always or often feel lonely. While loneliness is an issue across ages, younger adults seem the most affected at this time.

We’ve got an idea for an “each one reach one” movement. Our goal would be to strive to build more meaningful connections between people. This could help put the brakes on loneliness; because even if we’re not feeling alone at the moment, someone else probably is.

The first step, please realize that this world needs YOU and is better with YOU around! Second, try to say YES more often when you are invited to something social. The third idea, please consider starting something new based on anything that you are passionate about. Do you love books? Try joining or starting a book club. If cooking is your specialty, perhaps a cooking club. You get the idea!

Let’s try this together: Go beyond the surface connection with someone you know and get to know them better, or make an effort to reach out and meet someone new. We’ll do the same! Everyone has something beautiful to offer the world, so let’s engage and leave loneliness behind, together.

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

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Matt Lawson, Chicago Compass Counseling

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