LONELINESS

Bonjour, 

This blog is another in the series about all the emotions that we go through living with M.E. 

The one comment that I see most often on social media is 'I feel so alone'. 

Being alone and loneliness is forced upon us as we can no longer work, socialise, or leave our homes or even our beds.   

Here are some of the comments that people have written about how they feel. Perhaps you can identify with any or all of them....

• the worst thing about M.E. is feeling so lonely
• M.E. has got to be the loneliest illness in the world 
• I feel so lonely and desperate
• I feel ignored
• I feel lonely and afraid
• I feel lonely and depressed
• I miss talking to people
• I fear being left alone
• people don't understand how lonely this illness can be
• I feel sad, sick and tired of being alone
• living alone means every day is a struggle
• alone at Christmas 
• inhuman loneliness
• I'm a really sociable person and miss seeing people
• I miss 'real' friends to hug
• loneliness is the worst of all tortures
• being lonely is a killer
• I feel like no one in my life understands what life is like having this illness
• lonely is not being alone, it's the feeling that no one cares

Of course some people love being alone. It's true that being alone can have it's benefits. It's also true that you can feel lonely even when you are living with someone or you are surrounded by people. 

I have been in both situations - lonely in a relationship and now as a single person. 

So how can we cope with loneliness? 

We all have our own ways of facing and dealing with this. 

Unlike healthy and well people we can't go out and join a local class or group, volunteer or go out and socialise.  

We have to find other ways to combat loneliness. 

What helps me is connecting with people, especially those who suffer the same as me, on social media websites. It helps me to feel less alone. 

I have a few good friends but talking to them depends on how I feel. 

I also have a cat who helps and comforts me. 

It also helps me to write down how I feel and sometimes share that with others. 

What helps you to cope with loneliness?  

I look forward to hearing from you.  

Love and hugs to you all 
The French Femme 
xxx💓