The Easter holidays are approaching and many people are not happy at all.
Author: Tonias Gerakari*
Great financial pressures on the one hand, and relationship difficulties on the other hand, have made the holidays a time of escape for many in recent years.
“I’d like to go to bed on April 20 and wake up on May 10,” an American divorcee with grown children told me recently.
“Why;” I asked him.
“Because I get more lonely during the holidays,” he explained.
But what is this loneliness that makes so many people suffer? For me, the perfect way to describe loneliness is a German supermarket ad I saw recently. Here, the main character is a grandfather who lives alone in a beautiful, ornate house. As the holidays approach and his children say they can’t be with him, he devises a way to get them to come to him – by sending them a notice that he’s dead. Everyone gathers at his funeral, and suddenly he appears alive before them and says, “How else could I bring you?” he says. This is the ultimate solitude for me.
Loneliness can be felt because there are no people to work with. Loneliness can also be experienced by a person who does not communicate with other people and does not feel good with them. He is alone sitting on the sofa of an empty house.
But he is alone sitting at the table full of people with whom he does not get along, and with whom he feels bad.
So when we talk about the famous loneliness of the holidays, we mean at least two different situations. Or to people who do not have relatives or friends near them and therefore spend the holidays alone. Or to people who do not feel well with loved ones and therefore feel alone.
Loneliness: an unpleasant emotional state
Loneliness in one form or another is a difficult and unpleasant emotional state, and it is exacerbated during the holidays when we are instilled with such inflated expectations.
However, loneliness is not a “disease” that we catch from somewhere. It is the result of our whole mentality and lifestyle. To some extent, loneliness is a choice. We can choose to live in such a way that we do not suffer from loneliness.
So let’s start looking at loneliness more actively. Instead of constantly complaining that no one understands us, this year let’s resolve to take matters into our own hands and overcome our loneliness.
How; Here are some ideas.
So we made it
- To make sure we communicate with our friends (at least the ones we trust the most) for real
- Meeting new people and building relationships with them. Especially if our existing relationships are not satisfying (and we obviously feel lonely), then there is a need to make new friendships. A good way to do this is to join a club similar to our interests (eg photography club, book reading group, etc.). There are also social clubs on the Internet that organize activities and bring together people with similar interests.
This year, let’s give ourselves the greatest gift – save her from loneliness. We can build fulfilling lives with meaningful relationships—if we decide to work for it.
*Tonia Gerakari is a Human Relations Consultant