Ashlyn Martin: Words for the Lonely

We all feel this way sometimes, and it’s one of the worst ways to feel. We feel like nobody is there, or like nobody wants to be there.

We feel trapped in our own bubble, unable to reach out to anyone, because they don’t understand how it feels. They don’t know anything about what we are feeling. At least, that’s what we convince ourselves to believe. People get in this habit of thinking that everything they feel is only felt by themselves.

Well, here’s the truth: we all feel the same things, we just feel them a little differently.

You aren’t the only one that has felt so bad for lying about something. You aren’t the only person that has hurt another person like that. You aren’t the only person who has yelled, punched a wall out of frustration, felt helpless, felt trapped, felt lost, felt underappreciated, felt disliked, felt betrayed, or felt disregarded. We people like to build up walls around ourselves and act like our emotions are ours and no one else will ever be able to understand them.

We single ourselves out in our head and make it seem that way in real life. That’s how we become lonely. We do that to ourselves.

But listen for just a moment. We are never alone. You are never alone. Somewhere, there is someone who has felt this same pain as you and has been in the same situation as you have. In this world, people are more alike and closer than they ever think. We drive imaginary wedges between us and others because we think we can never connect or be similar in any way, but we are.

There is always someone there. Repeat that in your head again. There will always be someone there for you. Maybe it doesn't feel like it. Maybe you feel as though you are an entire world away from anyone else, and that no one could ever help you, but is isn't like that.

This world may be mean, but the people in it are nicer than you could ever imagine.