I'll be the first one to admit: taking advice from celebrities is silly. But, they are humans and deal with the same issues as the rest of us, mere mortals. Mental health issues don't play favorites, so I firmly believe that these celebrity quotes about loneliness should offer some comfort.
Before we dive into the quotes, we need to understand the meaning of being lonely. It can be a phase of emptiness, a symptom of depression, or a reaction to a life event.
Loneliness is a unique experience, but everyone agrees that you don't have to be alone to feel that strange, eerie feeling that you're on your own.
Defining what it means to be lonely
You need to connect with others is not met. At the same time, you don't want to or don't know how to connect.
Loneliness is messed up and tricky because you have no idea whether it's a feeling of being overwhelmed or underwhelmed. You're empty, yet full of anger, or sadness, perhaps something you can't even define.
It's not physical isolation, but moving to a new city, or being alone during a lockdown, can trigger this uncomfortable feeling.
For many, being lonely is a symptom of low self-esteem. If you believe you're unworthy, you don't want to socialize since you're not good enough. It's a vicious circle, but overcoming it isn't impossible.
Loneliness can be dangerous
While being on your own, creating your life, goals, and freedoms is something that will make you thrive, feeling lonely can lead to severe mental health issues.
Most commonly, lonely people start to 'kill' their pain with alcohol and drug abuse. Others are beginning to face the ugly faces of depression and anxiety. However, that feeling of being isolated can also speed up Alzheimer's disease, decrease your heart's health, and improve your chances of getting a stroke.
How come one feeling can cause so much damage to your health? It's easy: the more lonely you feel, the less you think about healthy eating, exercising, or taking care of yourself overall.
As your body isn't getting proper sleep or nutrients, it ages faster. So, it's not just the first sign of depression. Your serotonin levels might be okayish, but your heart will give you away.
Just like happiness, loneliness can be contagious. If your family member or a close friend is lonely and isolated, you have over a 50 percent chance of 'catching' the same feeling.
Overcoming loneliness alone
The best advice is to see your GP whenever you feel that something's out of place. But, given the current pandemic, that might not be a possibility.
What you can do is bet on yourself and keep your mind occupied.
Try to see how you can help others and spend more time with quality people. Accept that loneliness is dangerous, but at the same time, you can do a lot to prevent it, even overcome it.
To quote Ricky Gervais, tickle your brain. You need laughter; you need to get dirty and get busy. Yes, you feel tired, but that's just your mind playing tricks. Work in a garden, become a master chef and read books that will inspire you to control your destiny.
You don't have to, but practicing yoga, meditating, and keeping a gratitude journal are just some of the ways to replace negativity with positive experiences and emotions.
Useful celebrity quotes on loneliness
The goal isn't to define this uncomfortable feeling but to use these quotes as a way to show you that you're not alone. Far from it.
About 22% of Americans say they continuously feel alone. So not only is loneliness common, but it's also a universal experience.
No matter how rich, beautiful, or intelligent you are, you can still be just as messed up as the next person. So let's begin:
Alice in Chains: Angry Chair
By far, the best loneliness quote isn't even a quote but a song verse:
Loneliness is not a phase
Field of pain is where I graze
Serenity is far away
Angry Chair is a loud, angry, haunting song. And each verse is worth remembering. But, this particular one is the perfect example of how helpless loneliness makes us feel.
Cara Delevingne
She's an actress and a supermodel. And Cara Delevingne comes from what we call a blue blood family. None of it matters, and she spoke about her issues ever since she became a star.
Cara wrote a novel to help youngsters overcome that feeling of being alone. In 2017 she explained:
"It felt like I was completely alone, and I couldn't express myself because I felt ashamed of my emotions. I want to make sure that kids realize that emotions and vulnerability are important and should be spoken about."
You should never be ashamed of your feelings, especially when they can take over your life and turn it into something dark.
Beyonce
Queen of everything is a hard worker, and she started young, so of course, she had to face some personal struggles. After Destiny's Child broke, she slipped into an identity crisis.
"I stayed in my room. I was in a really bad place in life, going through that lonely period: 'Who am I? Who are my friends?' My life changed."
It's true: we all face challenges, and some hit us so hard that we can either make drastic changes or drown in self-pity. And the answer is always: swim!
Britney Spears
You know that Britney's journey was far from idyllic. But, she's doing her best, and hopefully, life will give her lemonade, after so many years of struggle.
However, we used a quote about Los Angeles. The pop singer explained:
"Living in LA is such a trip !!! It can be lonely at times. You never know who to trust, and some people can be fake. I have a very small circle of friends, and simply do what makes me happy!!!"
It's not just that the City of Angels is full of fake people. They are everywhere, and if you're highly sensitive or struggling, they will want to eat you alive. That's why it's essential to have a small but carefully chosen group of people—your support system.
Maya Angelou
Her life story will make you weep and smile. It's insane what one brave woman had to go through, but Maya Angelou did it all. And survived. How?
Music was my refuge. I could crawl into space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
And that's about sums it up: if you have at least one passion, one goal, let them guide you. When everyone fails you, turn to your one passion to get you into a brighter spot.
Charles Bukowski
As you know, Bukowski had quite a life. But, he was not a ray of sunshine, which made his writing timeless. His loneliness quote is the most realistic because we all like to have that alone time, but having someone great to share things with, now that's priceless.
"Being alone never felt right. Sometimes it felt good, but it never felt right."
And there you have it: some of the biggest names in the world went through the same feeling, though each person's experience is unique.
But don't dwell on your present emotions; instead, try to find something that will give you enough strength to make each day a tad better. Not because a celebrity told you so, but because these quotes are a reminder that all of us are here to experience joy as well as difficulties.
