Are you lonely? Hang in there.

Özgün Ünver Author

If you're experiencing loneliness right now, try to see it as an opportunity and learn from the feeling.

It's the holiday season!

In some parts of the world, life is all about jingle bells, shopping, and making plans for Christmas and New Year's Eve...

Obviously, this is also "family time" for many people

However, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the isolation some of us feel for not being in a position to be with our loved ones at the moment.

Having a career in academia makes it necessary for some of us to move from one country to another.

And many of us take on that challenge and move countries for the sake of career development.

And many of us who make such a move suffer from homesickness...

Among all the craziness around the Christmas time and upcoming new year, I want to acknowledge the PhD students, post-docs, lecturers, and professors who moved away from their loved ones and now, in the midst of the pandemic, are not able or allowed to travel to their countries of origin or have their loves...

I know, this can be very hard.

I know, loneliness may feel very scary.

But know that you're not alone in your experience and in the way you feel.

And it will get better.

If you're experiencing loneliness right now, try to see it as an opportunity and learn from the feeling.

Learn about yourself, your priorities in life, what you want and don't want.

And please take a moment to recognize and acknowledge the strength in you.

What can you do in this period to protect your mental wellbeing in case you're feeling very lonely?

Here are some ideas that may help you:

• Reach out for moments of connection with the people you want to connect (give spontaneous calls to people to make an appointment for a Skype/Zoom meeting)
• Find a group of people who do the same activities that you enjoy or want to try, who might have a chance to meet during holidays (outdoor activities like hiking groups are great)
• Find an online class/workshop that you find interesting to dive deep during your free time and utilize this period to cultivate a hobby or passion (you can even find online whisky/wine/beer tasting workshops - if that's your jam)
  

PS: What are the topics you'd like me to bring on the podcast? Contact me and let me know!

Credit: Photo by Gabriel on Unsplash.

Categories: Isolation, Loneliness, Mental Health