Can Being Lonely Be OK?
In a world where we are ever more connected, many people are feeling increasingly disconnected or lonely. But if we can learn to reframe loneliness, we can feel less isolated. In this episode of Everything In Between, Andy explores Lake Powell and the concept of loneliness.
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(water flowing) (soft music) One of the most amazing things about being here is the sense of quiet, is the sense of being away from everything and everyone. (Andy laughs) I wanna be away from everyone but that is something in all of us at times that actually we kind of long for that to be out in the middle of nowhere. (soft music) Feels really healthy if we can get to a point where we're okay on our own. (soft music) Loneliness, that's a different thing I think. Can often feel kind of very challenging, it can feel quite destructive, I think it can feel very isolating but in trying to get away from that feeling of loneliness I think we miss the opportunity to understand what it is, we miss the opportunity to get comfortable with it. but there is a journey I think where we can can choose to go on where it becomes more comfortable over time and where we find the greatest sense of courage. (soft music) It's okay to feel that indescribable the sadness. (soft music) That is our life in that moment is whether we can be okay with that. We can get lost in it, we can get overwhelmed by it and we will do sometimes or we can be open to that and allow that into our life. And if we do then we start to uncover and discover things about ourselves that might surprise us that we never even kind of knew they were there. And it can open I think, it can actually be a gateway to not just greater understanding of ourselves and our own lives but also to the lives of others and the connection and the place that we have in this world. (soft music) So I feel like it's almost part of letting go of a sense of self. I can only be lonely as an individual, we can only be lonely as an individual if we think about ourselves being separate from others, separate from the world around us. As soon as that thought has gone, as soon as that idea has gone then loneliness can't even exist as a concept. So then all of a sudden that idea of stepping out of the mind, stepping out of thinking, dropping that story and that becomes really powerful. (soft music) So in some ways you could say the antidote to loneliness is to be more present, not caught up in the story of loneliness but rather resting in the present moment. It's natural to experience that feeling of loneliness but we need to get underneath that, we need to understand what's the emotion, what's the story behind it? And in seeing it clearly we're able to let go of it. (soft music)...
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A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
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Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.
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As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.
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Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.
- More about Rosie
Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.
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