Hey there, beloved! How’s your quarantine going? I wanted to chat about loneliness today. I’m an introvert, yet—yes—quarantine still gets me in a funk sometimes. I don’t go as stir crazy, perhaps, as an extrovert, but no one wants to be 100% alone! (P.S. I’m not ignoring you extroverts! I’ll be focusing on you next week in the sister post of this one.)
We were made for community. So what happens when we legally have to stay away from fellow humans?
1. Use this time to grow in prayer.
As an introvert, you are more comfortable with scurrying into the deep parts of yourself. Use that tendency to be still and pray!
Prayer shows dependence on God and reminds us that as Christians we are never 100% alone. My mom has breast cancer and had to go into surgery “by herself.” I loved her blogpost where she explains that even though humanly she felt alone, she knew deep down that God was with her.
Deuteronomy 20:4 says, “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
I was reminded today in Acts that, though David had good intentions in desiring to build God a temple, God wanted him to know that He was too big to be contained in a tiny building made by man’s hands. He’s everywhere, all the time. This is comforting to the Christian and terrifying to the unbeliever!
2. Don’t “fold in” on yourself.
I have a tendency to retreat too far into myself. I have hermit tendencies (I have to get out . . . ya know, once a week for a coffee and grocery store trip, but apart from that, I would be perfectly content).
For a while, I thought that was a virtue. And it kind of is. But it can also be a manifestation of selfishness. Quarantine has made it easy to not have to “deal” with other people. So if you find yourself going for long stretches of time with lots of “me time,” it may be time to reach out to other people. Which goes to my next point . . .
3. Check in on others (especially our dear extroverts) possibly experiencing loneliness.
There are people legit struggling with quarantine! I can’t imagine the inner turmoil single people, widows, and the elderly deal with. Talk about being alone!
Check in on them. As an introvert, I’m not crazy about FaceTime or phone calls because they feel invasive but we need that human connection. We need something more than strands of pixelated letters strung together. Be willing to take the first step of organizing a virtual get together.
4. Challenge yourself to “make someone’s day” every day.
On our Instagram page, God gave me the idea to use my random artistic talents to create free art stuffs for our followers. One week, I created cellphone wallpapers. The other week, I did quick doodle portraits. This week, I offered a hand-lettered six-word phrase.
What’s your talent? No, no—don’t write yourself off because you can’t hand letter. Are you good with math? Ask someone if they need tutoring. Or offer your services to a friend with a small business. Maybe they need help with taxes or accounting stuff!
Do you love science-y stuff? My sister, Rachel, is a nursing major and (unlike me) loves measuring all the things. Her interest carries over to baking. Maybe this rings true for you, too! Could you start a YouTube channel or Instagram page that explains the science behind baking?
Something “small” like a letter could even encourage someone. I’ll never forget coming home one fall day in 2019 and finding a letter written by one of my mom’s friends. It was totally out of the blue, but just what I’d needed because . . . let’s just say that day had been a mini Armageddon.
5. Make yourself go out.
I didn’t go out at all last week until Friday. While my introvert ness told me I loved it, I must admit I started feeling it by Friday. I needed to get outside and be reminded what real life is like.
Maybe you’re like that too. Volunteer to go get groceries for your mom, have a weekly day to go get local bakery goodies (Rachel and I usually do that on Mondays), or just take a drive to nowhere.
