Do you prefer loneliness or resent it?

[WhatPowerIs]

I can keep my own company, but I do have limits. Loneliness was one of the reasons I left my PhD program. Hours spent alone with your own thoughts is a recipe for disaster. The healthiest grad students I saw had an office with other people or did the undergrad thing and did their work in coffee shops.

The sad part about loneliness is that it becomes a self-perpetuating problem. During my unemployment this past year, I found myself becoming extremely socially awkward and anxious around people. My retail job forces me to interact with strangers from all walks of life, and I have actually become one of the more gregarious employees. Being able to make small talk really helps with job performance and makes the experience a lot more tolerable.

I just try to act as if everybody I meet has something interesting to say no matter how small. If they indicate they don't want to chat, that's fine, but most people are happy to even carry on a conversation about their groceries or cooking. I have learned a few things about cooking, gardening, history, and current events from my customers.

I'm glad you have been able to chat with your customers! Have you been feeling less lonely, would you say?

 

[Celerity]

I'm glad you have been able to chat with your customers! Have you been feeling less lonely, would you say?

It helps. Some of the older people who come in are very sweet. I have made acquaintances with some of my coworkers. All in all, it's a pretty good crew for a grocery store. How they have been able to get good people with the wages they pay is beyond me, though I suspect a lot of people choose it for the work environment. Good coworkers make a big difference. Management is also the best I have worked under.

 

[WhatPowerIs]

It helps. Some of the older people who come in are very sweet. I have made acquaintances with some of my coworkers. All in all, it's a pretty good crew for a grocery store. How they have been able to get good people with the wages they pay is beyond me, though I suspect a lot of people choose it for the work environment. Good coworkers make a big difference. Management is also the best I have worked under.

I'm actually so happy to hear that! I always hear horror stories of people working in retail, unfriendly customers and ignorant co-workers and things like that, it sounds like you were able to make the best of it.

 

[Celerity]

I'm actually so happy to hear that! I always hear horror stories of people working in retail, unfriendly customers and ignorant co-workers and things like that, it sounds like you were able to make the best of it.

It has its problems and is definitely not for everyone, but I think that's the case with every job. The main problem here is the pay, not the job itself.

 

[odradek]

I definitely prefer to be alone. I don't prefer loneliness though. I used to feel it big when I was younger and it's awful. I'm just able to exist with minimal human interaction now. Definitely not healthy but that is not my goal anymore I suppose.

 

[nys]

I have a hard time forming friendships/relationships bc it takes a long time for me to trust ppl. I'm also an introvert & I like being alone. But I definitely hate loneliness & feeling isolated bc even if I like being alone, I still need to interact with ppl even if its just a little

 

[Rapière]

In order for me to get along with (most) people I'd have to fprcefully bend, and on some ends break my personality to fit within the socially accepted norms. I did exacactly that in 2020 and managed to hold a conversation with someone on here for months (usually things go south after the first 10 messages or so), but was much more miserable than before due to the sheer effprt it took to pretend I'm someone else and knowing they would ghost me if I let my mask slip.

Since then, having realized there is no way out, I've resigned myself to the desert and have grown more and more accustemed it, until I've reached a point where I feel fully content with the idea of spending the rest of my days in complete solitude.