Feeling like I never truly belonged anywhere was my greatest pain

I started to talk about my fears and my hurt. I started questioning what was important to me and why

At the heart of loneliness is the absence of meaningful social interaction

Unchecked loneliness fuels continued loneliness by keeping us afraid to reach out

In a meta-analysis of studies on loneliness16, researchers Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Timothy B. Smith, and J. Bradley Layton

I never tried out for a single thing again. Instead, I got really good at fitting in by doing whatever it took to feel like I was wanted and a part of something.

If, however, what unites us is a combination of shared hatred and stifled fear that’s eventually expressed as blame, we’re in trouble

is not up to my standards of political correctness

When we deny ourselves the right to be angry, we deny our pain. There are a lot of coded shame messages in the rhetoric of “Why so hostile?” “Don’t get hysterical,” “I’m sensing so much anger!” and “Don’t take it so personally