“The antidote to loneliness isn’t just being around random people indiscriminately, the antidote to loneliness is emotional security.” ~Benedict Wells
Security of the emotions. Feeling at ease in another’s presence. You can be yourself in any situation, whether it’s good or bad. Feeling seen and seeing the other clearly, accepting the other’s whole lovely mess. It’s good stuff, and it can be hard to find.
Many experts have described loneliness as an epidemic. It’s easy to assume that loneliness is caused by the PanIt was a demic long before there were lockdowns or social distance.
Cigna conducted an adult survey in 2018 and found that loneliness had reached epidemic levels at 54 percent. Since then, it shot up to 61 percent in 2019, with three in five Americans reporting feeling lonely, and now sits at 58 percent—we’ve got ourselves a big problem. And it’s not just the fact that it’s unpleasant to feel disconnected from others and not have anyone to talk to; research also shows it’s also bad for our health.
As someone who went thirty-seven years not knowing I’m autistic, for most of my life I’ve hidden a lot of who I am (masking), making it impossible to…
