LONELINESS AND RECOVERY
WHAT IS LONELINESS? Loneliness is defined as ‘ a subjective feeling about the gap between a person’s desired levels of social contact and their actual level of social contact.’ The issue with subjective emotions is that everyone perceives them differently, and loneliness is no different. Someone can be surrounded by people or appear on the outside to have connections and a social life, but still feel lonely, or lacking connection. On the flip side, someone may appear to be isolated but are content with solitude and minimal human contact. We are all wonderfully varied and not one rule fits all. LONELINESS VS SOLITUDE Loneliness is not to be confused with solitude. Where feeling lonely is an emotion , being alone is a state of being . Many people (like myself, especially in my recovery) may choose to have a small number of connections, and enjoy some solitude to relax and reflect on their day. "Being alone is actually just a state; it means that you are not with other people. ...