people.
A few weeks ago, homesickness started to kick in and I was feeling more or less depressed, lonely, and hopeless. I wallowed in it for a few days. I wasn't very productive and I tried to stuff my feelings by spending more time than usual reading random books and watching chick flicks.
After a few days of this, I suppose I had reached a point of desperation and, while reading my scriptures, the thought came to me to just try reaching out to a few young adult ladies that I knew of and see if they'd like to get together sometime.
Something you should know about me: I've struggled with social anxiety for years. I've never been the type to easily make new friends or to initiate hanging out or anything like that. I always questioned why anyone would want to be my friend or spend time with me, and so I spent many of my junior high and high school weekends at home rather than out with friends.
Fast forward to now. I'm living in a foreign country where I don't really speak the language. There are few if any traces of familiarity or home. It's easy to feel isolated and lonely. And as I've recently learned from Brené Brown, loneliness needs to be treated just like hunger or pain does. Loneliness needs connection in order to be quenched.
And so I, for maybe the first time in my life, reached out to women I hardly knew and initiated getting together. And I found that making new friends isn't this grand mystery or unattainable task I thought it was all this time. All it takes is being willing to ask questions and then listen.
I have to say that since that moment several weeks ago, I've been happier than I've been in a long time—simply because I've allowed more people into my life. I'm learning that the more people you allow yourself to love and allow to love you, the happier you will be.
So if you're finding yourself feeling lonely, depressed, and hopeless, try reaching out to someone you may or may not know well and ask if they'd like to go get a treat together sometime. You might be surprised by how much joy it brings into your life.
After a few days of this, I suppose I had reached a point of desperation and, while reading my scriptures, the thought came to me to just try reaching out to a few young adult ladies that I knew of and see if they'd like to get together sometime.
Something you should know about me: I've struggled with social anxiety for years. I've never been the type to easily make new friends or to initiate hanging out or anything like that. I always questioned why anyone would want to be my friend or spend time with me, and so I spent many of my junior high and high school weekends at home rather than out with friends.
Fast forward to now. I'm living in a foreign country where I don't really speak the language. There are few if any traces of familiarity or home. It's easy to feel isolated and lonely. And as I've recently learned from Brené Brown, loneliness needs to be treated just like hunger or pain does. Loneliness needs connection in order to be quenched.
And so I, for maybe the first time in my life, reached out to women I hardly knew and initiated getting together. And I found that making new friends isn't this grand mystery or unattainable task I thought it was all this time. All it takes is being willing to ask questions and then listen.
I have to say that since that moment several weeks ago, I've been happier than I've been in a long time—simply because I've allowed more people into my life. I'm learning that the more people you allow yourself to love and allow to love you, the happier you will be.
So if you're finding yourself feeling lonely, depressed, and hopeless, try reaching out to someone you may or may not know well and ask if they'd like to go get a treat together sometime. You might be surprised by how much joy it brings into your life.
Comments