Handling Loneliness: coming home to your inner self

Day 25

After my stroke, loneliness showed up in ways I didn’t expect. It wasn’t just about being alone—it was about having so much to say but not being able to say it. My thoughts were still there—clear and alive—but trapped inside. I felt like I was living mostly in my head, full of words and feelings that couldn’t find their way out. Even when I was with people, I couldn’t participate the way I wanted.

That kind of quiet can make you turn inward. You start to notice everything more—your thoughts, your emotions, even your heartbeat. You become deeply introspective, which can be comforting one moment and heavy the next.

But in that stillness, something else began to happen. The quiet brought me closer to God. I couldn’t sing out loud anymore or recite prayers easily, but I found myself listening more—listening for peace, for comfort, for a presence that didn’t need words.

Over time, I began to see that silence could hold both loneliness and grace.

Here’s what helped me live with it:

• Let the Quiet Be What It Is. Some days, it felt like isolation. Other days, it felt like rest. I learned not to fight it either way.

• Let People In, Even Imperfectly. A look, a smile, or a shared moment still meant connection.

• Trust the Stillness. In the quiet, I found a deeper kind of prayer—the kind that happens without words.

  
  

Tip: Loneliness can feel like emptiness, but it can also be a doorway to inner peace. When you stop fighting the quiet and start listening within it, you might hear something sacred—your own calm voice, or the whisper of God reminding you that you’re not alone.

#blogboost

Note: Because aphasia can make speaking, reading, and writing more challenging, I use tools like ChatGPT to help me organize my thoughts, check for consistency, and make sure my writing is clear and cohesive. Technology has become an important part of how I share my story and continue my recovery.