One of the most common fears is loneliness.

One of the most common fears is loneliness. We fear those moments, days, conditions in which we are without company or destruction, in which there is no other person to keep our attention away from…ourselves. The #fear of #loneliness is really the fear of facing ourselves, the fear that should we be alone with ourselves, we may encounter a great emptiness. However, when we have people around us, we see our #reflection in them. We got validated we are not empty, we have substance.

We feel better just being around other people. We need other people in order to be well and thrive. And we need close relationships in order to be happy.

Close relationships create psychological space and safety so that we can explore and learn. If life is a tightrope from which we dance and survey the whole circus, Close #relationships are our safety net into which we fall whenever, momentarily we lose our footing. When we feel #safe and supported, we don’t have to narrow in on survival tasks like responding to danger or finding our next meal. We are able to explore our world, which builds resources for times of stress and adversity.

Close relationships has these characteristics; they are fun, we feel secure in it, it validate our self-worth, there is caring and mutual understanding, we can love and be loved, it is our source of help in times of trouble, there are diversity of ideas and influences to help us grow and learn. 

Belonging to a group or community gives us a sense of identity. It helps us understand who we are and feel part of something larger than ourselves. Friends and family can also #encourage and support us in healthy #lifestyle habits, such as exercise and moderation. When we have strong social connections, we seem to have less #stress-related health problem and they recover faster from illness.

We are happier when we are with other people than when we are alone. We are more pleasant, helpful, and sociable. Being around people makes us feel happier, and when we are happier we are more fun to be around, creating an 'upward spiral' of happiness. #Happiness is #contagious. It affects everyone around us. The positive effects from connecting with others are lasting. Compare to material good, close relationship increases our level of happiness. We also would likely to continue to want our close relationships, even after we attain them, and to continue to derive positive emotions from them.

We know the benefit of being with others but that does not mean we have to be afraid of loneliness. We should not only allow it to visit us but we should welcome it. Let us allow it to inhabit us and through it let us gain an even more profound experience of ourselves. Embrace both – being alone and being with others, that is the only way to gain balance in our lives.