Loneliness: What It Is and How to Recognize It

Loneliness surrounds us everywhere — in queues, in shops, among strangers. But to understand what is happening inside, one must first learn to see this state from within. Dr. Saулitis speaks of loneliness as a force — yet before exploring its power, we need to learn to recognize it.

Loneliness Is Not the Same as Being Alone

You can be surrounded by people and feel profound loneliness. Equally, you can be in complete solitude and feel none of it at all. Loneliness is, above all, an inner experience: a sense of disconnection between oneself and the world around, when ordinary contact with others simply doesn't happen — or feels hollow.

Dr. Saулitis describes a moment in a shop: you stand and wait, no one comes, — and that small collision suddenly stirs a whole wave of memories and feelings. This is how loneliness announces itself: not through prolonged isolation, but through a sudden break in contact.

How to Recognize Loneliness in Yourself

Loneliness signals its presence in several ways:

• A sense of invisibility — you are there, but feel unseen.
• A break with the familiar — people, places, and sensations that once felt natural suddenly become inaccessible; a sharp longing arises for an old sense of "home" — whether through people, smells, or sounds.
• A sudden awakening from something small — a stranger's rudeness or a familiar scent abruptly reminds you of what is missing. That is the signal: loneliness was already there, it simply hadn't been noticed.
• Searching for "home" in any place — what a person seeks is not a specific location, but a feeling of belonging and genuine contact.

Insight as the First Step

The doctor uses a significant word — to see clearly (prozret'): to perceive what was always in front of you but remained unrecognised. Loneliness often goes unnoticed precisely because a person grows accustomed to it, accepting it as normal or attributing it to tiredness and external circumstances.

Recognising loneliness does not mean diagnosing yourself — it means honestly noticing: *"I am missing real, living contact."* That is the first and most important step: seeing the state for what it truly is.