I never thought I’d say this, but being lonely is okay.

A year ago I struggled with depression due to loneliness, I was already a loner, but the lockdown definitely made it worse. It was hard to find joy in anything because I was so fixated on how lonely I was. <br><br><br>Because of that I began to act out of character and became reckless. I started partying to fill the void, but it didn’t do much. It was a temporary band-aid, and after each party I was still lonely. <br><br><br>I knew this wasn’t going to last and that I needed real self-fulfillment, so I stopped partying and started the other extreme, being a recluse. <br><br><br>But this didn’t work either, even though I liked being alone, I still craved for social interaction. <br><br><br>It wasn’t until I started accepting myself as a loner that I truly felt at peace. I’m not saying that I’ll never make an attempt at making friends again, but I’m okay right now with being alone and I think you should be too. <br><br><br>There’s this huge stigma in our society that being alone, especially in your 20s, is a bad thing. It’s not. This is the prime age to find yourself and discover your passions, and yes, you can be passionate about things even if you’re alone in them. <br><br><br>I think a lot of lonely people try to force relationships and friendships, and that never works out. It’s okay to be alone because you don’t have to. Nobody is forcing you to be in a relationship/friendship, and if they are, then they should mind their own business. <br><br><br>I do agree that some people take being lonely to an extreme and do need to put themselves out there. But that’s not for me to decide. It’s okay for people to make their own decisions about how they live their lives, and if they want to be alone, then that’s okay. <br><br><br>For anyone reading this post that’s struggling with loneliness, just know that there are good things out there for you. This is just a bad time, but it will pass and things will get better. <br><br><br>Peace.