Loneliness at Work

Every now and then you encounter someone who communicates exactly what you're thinking or feeling. It's unexpectedly refreshing. It's somewhat empowering because you feel like you're not alone in your situation; someone actually "gets" you. Most importantly it's relieving, because now you don't have to carry the burden solely on your shoulders. In my case, I discovered an article written by an anonymous author overseas. They nailed it. It was almost as if my water-logged heavy blanket was lifted and replaced with a warm fleece pullover; light, but protective. Someone in this world is also contending with loneliness at work. It is an impactful read. An excerpt:

Workplace loneliness is a real problem, one which is being increasingly recognised, but it’s one we don’t want to talk about – who wants to be the person who opens themselves up to derision by announcing their feeling of isolation to their colleagues?

That is the difficult question to answer. How does one contend with the absence of connections at the workplace, yet not alienate or ostracize oneself from those in the office? It's a complex balancing act, especially when you're an introvert. I have two trusted colleagues in the large organization where I work, but they're employed in different divisions. The connections we gain from collaborating on projects and the shared "we're in this struggle together" experience with are there, but are infrequent.

The risk one takes by announcing that they are lonesome at work is significant. I've been weighing this decision for quite some time before deciding to hit the publish button on this post. But if there are others out there that view this, read the article linked above, and have similar feelings, then we can at least have a shared experience.