Test: What’s your personal loneliness trigger?

It tends to be emotionally intelligent people who are most at risk of emotional loneliness. When your default setting is to feel everything deeply, even minor ruptures in significant relationships will have a ripple effect on your daily experiencing. Ongoing conflict that feels out of your control can leave you with a sense of uncertainty, self-consciousness or vulnerability in other relationships, so it’s no surprise that loneliness is a common side-effect. At the root of emotional loneliness is often a feeling of not being understood, accepted or valued for who you are. You’re also at risk if you’re a highly sensitive person. You may feel like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster at times, buffeted by the behaviour of others.

Even brief periods of emotional loneliness can hit you hard when connecting with others is a core part of identity, values and what gives your life meaning. Luckily, you rarely feel lonely for long, as creating authentic and meaningful relationships is your superpower and also the perfect loneliness antidote. When periods of vulnerability strike, ask yourself how you can best show up for the people you care most about? Moving the focus to what you can do for others may sound counter-intuitive when you feel lonely and vulnerable, but it’s often the most effective way to feel reconnected.