Many people feel that if they're lonely, that means that they're not likable or that they're broken in some way.
Interpretation
Loneliness can lead to feelings of unlikability and brokenness.
In this quote, Vivek Murthy highlights a common misconception where individuals associate their loneliness with a lack of likability or a perceived defect in their character. This flawed reasoning can exacerbate feelings of isolation instead of recognizing that loneliness is a universal human experience that does not inherently diminish one's worth or value.
In practice
This quote can be used in a mental health seminar to discuss the misconceptions related to loneliness.
I think sometimes in the focus on deep friendships and on romantic relationships, we can lose sight of how important the small connections we make are with strangers and with people that we may encounter for just a few seconds or a few minutes, whether it's the barista at our coffee shop or the stranger next to us on the subway.
Without strong communities, we cannot pull together during times of hardship. Our diversity turns from a source of strength to a source of conflict.
One of the things that happens in our regular lives is that when we're in moments of pain or feeling alone, we may hesitate to reach out to others because we may think - they're not going through the same experiences I am.
There's a tremendous sense of shame that people who are lonely feel. I say that as someone who felt ashamed of being lonely as a child and even at points during adulthood.
Our health care workers are the heroes of the Covid-19 response.
What you quickly realize once you commit to getting more sleep is it can increase your productivity, it can improve your mood. And that doesn't just help you at work, but it helps you be the kind of person you want to be with your family and your friends and that's ultimately what matters most.
We do not look for compromise; rather, we seek to resolve the conflict to everyone's complete satisfaction.
I found that being online has opened a window for me to look into other people's lives... The greatest fear that I have is losing touch.
Nobody until very recently would have thought that their husband was supposed to be their best friend, confidante, intellectual soul mate, co-parent, inspiration.
I wanted to know what happened when two people felt it. Would it divide the hurt in two, make it lighter to bear, the way feeling someone's joy seemed to double it?
I asked my husband if he was surprised by all the #MeToo stories. 'Yeah, I'm surprised,' he said. Ask any woman, they're not surprised. It's been going on for years.
I don't accept subtractive models of love, only additive ones. And I believe that in the same way we need species diversity to ensure that the planet can go on, so we need this diversity of affection and diversity of family in order to strengthen the ecosphere of kindness.
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