Intimacy vs isolation are two very opposites. Both have a very large impact on an individual. Associated with the issue of loneliness, intimacy and isolation are two things that can be very related. Before we go further into dealing with loneliness, let’s understand intimacy and isolation.
Intimacy is a person’s ability to be close to other people. These other people can be a close friends, partners, and residents in the neighborhood. Intimacy has many stages. The earliest stage is communication, then continued by physical contact. A deep intimacy is established when someone feels comfortable in doing both communication and physical contact with others.
Isolation is the opposite of intimacy. If intimacy means having a good relationship with another person, isolation means not having a relationship at all. Isolation can be caused by the lack of ability of someone to adapt or the environment that is less accepting of differences that exist so that it cannot produce a harmony in relationships.
People who fail to have intimacy usually tend to be an isolated individual. Isolation that occurs continuously can cause someone to feel lonely. Then, what is loneliness? Loneliness is a condition when someone feels left or is actually left by people in their surrounding. Loneliness can occur because of changes in the social environment.
Loneliness can be experienced by anyone, children, teenagers, adults, even elders. The causes of loneliness experienced by all vulnerable ages vary. The causes of loneliness include not having intimacy with anyone, not finding people who can understand, being in a quiet environment, living in an environment that is less friendly, forced to lived in isolated place, and many more.
Even so, there are several ways we can do to overcome loneliness:
a) Realize that loneliness is just a feeling
Loneliness is just a feeling. Even though it’s very annoying, loneliness is only in our minds. In fact, we live side by side with others. We live inside the community. For that reason, we should not feel lonely. Throw away the thought that you are lonely. Look for new friends and get rid of that loneliness.
b) Find a new hobby
New hobbies will make our minds focus with fun things. For example, if we like to draw, make drawing become hobbies and routine habits. That way, our brain will imagine and think of good things like “What I have never drawn?” “What drawings are difficult to try?” By directing the mind to something productive, we will forget that we are lonely.
c) Find new friends
The soccer player will not be able to turn the ball over if he just waits. They are not waiting for the ball, they look after opportunity. If we feel like we don’t have even a single friend, it’s the right time to find new friends. The more we greet people and try to make friends, we have opened up the potential to find new good friends. That way we will not feel lonely anymore.