Happy Life and Work - Companionship

Friendship, relationship, fellowship, companionship, intimacy; all are vital to our happiness in life and at work. We were not created to be lonesome creatures. We were created to have relationship, with our creator and with other people. And, in a world that is full of people, it is very hard to imagine, but many do not have the friendship and companionship that is so vital to our emotional and spiritual health. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from and struggle with loneliness. How do we become so isolated in a world full of people? What are the causes of loneliness? How do we cope with being lonely? What are the keys to overcoming loneliness? These are some the questions we hope to help you discover the answers to.

Before we get to those questions, however, we must address the most important question; what is loneliness?

Loneliness is the state of being alone in solitary isolation. Loneliness is also the sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. So, loneliness seems to include two parts; physically being alone and emotionally feeling we have been forsaken or abandoned. I think we would all agree that many people spend significant time alone without being lonely, or suffering from loneliness, so it is the second part where the problems arise. Whether real or perceived, when we feel like we have been forsaken or abandoned, or that people are avoiding us, don’t like us, or don’t enjoy spending time with us, we may develop feelings of loneliness. Loneliness can be devastating because it can very quickly lead to additional destructive feelings of low self esteem, insecurity, despair, and depression.

This is why it is important to realize when we are suffering from loneliness and take the appropriate steps to deal with our loneliness. To emphasize the importance, understand that, since we were created for relationship and companionship, when we are not in fellowship with others it dramatically affects our overall happiness. Therefore, if you are battling loneliness, it will be a challenge for you to be truly happy in life and at work.

Perhaps one of the best bits of counsel I ever received was to not allow my circumstances to determine my attitude, but rather chose to let my attitude determine how I handle my circumstances. Here’s an example. If I have been without a job for a while, I could let that get me down and just sit around having a pity party hoping a good job will just fall like manna from heaven into my lap. That demonstrates getting a bad attitude and allowing that bad attitude to determine how I respond in a challenging situation. But what happens, if in the same situation, I chose to maintain a good attitude and stay active doing the things I know I need to do to secure a job; things like continuing my education, mailing resumes, knocking on doors, networking with people I know, and maybe even taking a part time job in the interim. Do you see the difference? And, do you see how we have a choice about our attitude and the significant difference that can make. Can you see how choosing to have a good attitude and doing positive things you can control can help in dealing with loneliness.

I want to help you further by recommending the following excellent resources that will provide you insight into loneliness and help you return to a life full of healthy, meaningful, and intimate friendships and companionship.

Facing Loneliness: The Starting Point of a New Journey By J. Oswald Sanders / Discovery House Publishers - Facing Loneliness is an attempt to provide answers to the problem of loneliness and challenges you to take specific steps to overcome its unpleasant effects. Sanders shows how to identify the symptoms and causes of loneliness, and how to deal with the underlying issue - the lack of intimacy. Paperback.

Loneliness - DVD By Billy Graham / Billy Graham Ministries In a classic and timeless message, Billy Graham examines, and shares with you, the root cause of loneliness. He explains that our separation from God is the origin of our struggle with loneliness, and that only by reconciling ourselves with our Heavenly Father can we be set free and experience true love, companionship, and intimacy.