The Hidden Gift of Loneliness
This morning, like many others recently, I woke up feeling achingly lonely. It was a deep, overwhelming kind of loneliness—the kind that feels heavy, pressing on your chest. The irony? I live in a house full of people. I sleep beside my husband, surrounded by our kids, yet loneliness still manages to find me.
As I lay there under the weight of it, I asked myself, What is this about?
Exploring the Feeling
My first instinct was to crave connection—I want people. I want to be seen. I want to feel loved. My mind wandered to wild, impractical ideas: being on stage, gaining recognition, or even something as simple (and ridiculous) as making out with someone new. It felt raw, even embarrassing to admit, but it was the truth beneath the loneliness: a desire to be appreciated, seen, and loved.
At first, I tried to push that feeling away. I labeled it as silly, unrealistic, or even shameful. But then I stopped. Instead of rejecting the feeling, I asked myself a new question:
What if this loneliness, this aching desire, was sent by God or the universe? What if it’s not a problem but a message?
Reframing Loneliness as a Message
Sitting with this thought, I asked myself, What is this feeling trying to tell me?
The answer became clear: I’m not teaching right now. I’m not engaging with people in the way I need to. For me, teaching has always been a way to connect deeply with others, to share and give of myself in a meaningful way. And yet, I’ve been holding back, retreating from that edge where growth and purpose happen.
That realization was a turning point. It reframed the loneliness from something painful to something precious—a nudge, or even a push, from the universe to realign with my purpose.
Embracing the Gift of Loneliness
When I looked at my loneliness this way, everything shifted. Instead of dreading it, I felt gratitude. I told myself, Thank you, loneliness. Thank you for showing me where I need to go.
It’s not about solving the feeling immediately or rushing into action. For now, it’s enough to recognize that this longing is a call to engage, to show up more fully, to reconnect with my purpose.
An Invitation for You
If you’re feeling lonely or longing for something right now, I invite you to sit with it—not to push it away, but to ask it what it wants to tell you.
What if your loneliness is a message from beyond?
What if it’s guiding you toward where you need to be?
What if it’s not a problem but a gift?
Take a breath, hold that possibility, and see where it leads you. Sometimes, what feels unbearable is actually the first step toward transformation.
Thanks for reading—and for sitting with these questions.
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