Why Being Lonely Is An Advantage

In today's video, we delve into a topic that often carries a negative connotation: loneliness. We're going to explore the potential advantages of experiencing loneliness, offering a fresh perspective on what is typically seen as a solely undesirable state. Our discussion will not only examine the various ways in which loneliness can have positive aspects.

Throughout the video, we'll discuss how periods of loneliness and solitude can foster personal growth, creativity, and self-reflection. We will explore the idea that in our constantly connected world, finding time to be alone with our thoughts can be surprisingly beneficial. This can include enhanced problem-solving skills, deeper self-understanding, and the opportunity to recharge emotionally and mentally.

▼ Timestamps ▼
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00:09 - Being lonely can be positive
01:50 - The macro view of loneliness
04:00 - Human beings are becoming replaceable
05:32 - What isolation does to your brain
08:28 - What is the affect of isolation?
11:20 - Engaging in solitude
17:33 - Solitude makes it easier to connect with people

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DISCLAIMER

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All guests of Healthy Gamer are informed of the public, non-medical nature of the content and have expressly agreed to share their story.

#healthygamergg #lonely #loneliness

[ShenobiYT]

"I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone."
- Robin Williams

[blue]

"Ten years ago I met a man in his 70s on
a train in Kerala. When I asked if he
minded travelling alone he replied: "I'm
not alone, I'm by myself." I always
remember this when I'm eating out by
myself or do anything without
companions. It changes everything"

I read this somewhere and I love it

[JK-hsii]

“you are never alone unless you abandon yourself”

- Ralph Smart

[davidbai]

Im actually worried im getting too comfortable with loneliness

[oskjan]

I had this phase as a 20-22 yr old where I felt NO connection to anyone. I was so lonely. I had been depressed and anxious to the point of madness almost, for years. The turning point was when I got this realization, and it became my motto: "If you can't be alone in the middle of a desert, hundreds of miles away from the closest human being and still be content - you will never find true meaning in social interactions". My point was that the motivation for befriending people and finding things in common with others can never come from a place of need, but must come from want. When you are FINE with being alone and you CHOOSE to be with other people, those interations will be meaningful.

So it's OKAY to choose to sit by yourself for months or even a year - like I did, just to think, reflect, find the YOURSELF. When you start doing that your mental problems will diminish and your desire for interactions with others will come naturally and at YOUR terms. You can select which ones are worth spending time with, and if there's no good choices out there in the given moment, then solitude beats hanging with and trying to win the respect of a**holes every time! And as time goes by you will find maye a couple of people that actually care about you and that are a net positive to your life. Focus on them, and continue to be open for more relations of that type. As the years go by you will have a small but quality click of people around you that are always there, that understand and know the real you. It's worth a lot.

Now I'm 36 and I don't have a hard time finding out anymore which ones are the good people when I'm in a new situation. I find friends anywhere and I keep the rotten ones out of my life. I spend a lot of time alone still and I enjoy it. I can not be coerced into anything. I have developed my own principles and standards. And I've never been more happy. The journey still continues though - there is no such thing as "done" with mental growth.

[Tricky-ygxm]

I was just thinking about how lonely I was inside, although on the outside I'm surrounded by "friends" who aren't really friends. Thanks man

[Jazzmaster]

Dr. K once again coming in clutch with content that addresses the "loneliness epidemic", all without the toxicity, shaming or vitriolic groupthink which blames entire groups of people for these issues.

[balazsnagy]

This video is such a reassurring video for me. I’ve just moved to another country and I was feeling lonely and was just in my room when I wasn’t at work, and suddenly all my insecurities and fears came out and I didn’t know how to deal with them. I didn’t know the word solitude and I couldn’t say it with words as well, but I felt it and did start to make some solitude activities during my day. I started working out, started to make a sleep schedule, a morning and night routine, reading books etc. and now that I’m doing all of these things I feel really good about myself and started to connect with other people a lot more and it feels easier. I’m thankful for Dr.K making these videos because I allways learn something new from them or/and about myself.

[TonyBurke-nqib]

I've never been lonely, I have had a couple of friends but my main killer of loneliness has been having a dog they don't lie and love me unconditionally.

[ryanbarker]

People need human connection and are creating increasing amounts of challenges for themselves in cultivating it. Not about how many people you are surrounded by, it’s about how connected you feel to those people.

[unhelpful-harry]

I live alone, work fully remote, and am in a new city. I fancied an adventure, and it's hard! I thought I made one new friend, but then we fell out pretty badly, and I blocked her. I went on a few dates, and had similarly bad luck. Strangely, as much as this period of my life is presenting me with very real emotional challenges, this video says things that I feel like I instinctively understand. It's essentially the age-old observation that a lot of life satisfaction comes down to the harmony you create within yourself.

[dogzer]

Finally someone says some truth! I don't hate being alone, but it does get annoying that I'm looked down upon for being alone too much. 99% of my discomfort comes from the cognitive dissonance of thinking I should be "connecting" with people when we don't have common interests.

[renaatsenechal]

You say more helpful insights in 5min than any of my few past psychologists in 5 hours, thank you!

[parlovasquez]

Finally, someone says what I experience and think. People constantly urge me to socialize more even though I explain it is something I find highly discomforting and when I need it I'll go out to the grocery store and I'm fine. Even mental health professionals have insisted that I have to be more social and don't understand how much enjoyment I experience in solitude.

[kingofichigo]

I used to be sad about being lonely until I realized I don't actually enjoy being around other people that much. I prefer the company of my computer and fish

[freaxfilm]

Its always sooo much better to be alone than in a BAD relationship ❤

[spencermarkham]

The only advantage to being lonely is it either teaches you to appreciate human companionship and therefore instills compassion and empathy for others and/or it teaches you that most people are shallow and dumb and therefore are not worth so much as one millisecond of one’s time! Either way it teaches you a lot about one’s fellow species!

[KimieMekamiko]

I absolutely agree with that. To be honest, I was always raised being extroverted and socializing. My family literally was sitting with me at the dinner table telling me that being alone is the worst which could ever happen to me and that I need to be like others want me to be to have a place in life with many friends and contacts. I needed a place in my very own flat first to recognize that something like solitude does even excist. And it changed so much for me. Before, I was under intense pressure and always on the run pleasing others. Now I have some real, deep contacts with a few friends and here and there someone deep minded joins my solitude life while sitting in a park or at a café and it just feels right and I have more energy and more skills in socializing than I had before. The weird thing is, people still ask me in a worried manner if I would be okay and if I even have friends.... That's so strange 😳

[vlst]

Thank you for recognizing the fact that relationships are becoming crappy. I've been trying to discuss this phenomena for a while now, but everybody I talk to respond with copium, accusing me of being negative. Then they go and step on the same rakes as I did, and repeat my exact words.

[gladysg]

I like Dr K teaching us this kind of thinking where emotions aren’t just a binary good or bad thing, but that they all have their proper situations and function. This kind of nuance is much needed in our culture, thank you