322: How to be alone without freaking out

This week’s question comes from a listener who finds it hard to spend time alone without having a really difficult time over it:

“Hey Bart. Okay, so when my girlfriend goes away on business trips, I experience a ton of anxiety. And it isn’t that I’m jealous of her – I’m I’m totally glad that she’s having these experiences – but I get really anxious and my tendency is to want to immediately fill that space with with someone so that I don’t have to have that negative feeling of being all alone, which I really hate. Is there something wrong with me? Thanks.”

Both Bart and John relate to the question on at least some level, and think it’s a fairly common feeling. But is it fair to say that there’s something wrong with someone who feels this way?

Takeaways: Comfort being alone is harder in the digital age, it needs to be exercised and cultivated, sometimes we may be fleeing the sound of our inner voice, there are things we can do to be better at this.

LISTEN HERE

By | 2022-08-10T03:40:56+00:00 August 15th, 2018|Podcast|

About the Author:

Bart Campolo is a secular community builder, counselor and writer who currently serves as the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Cincinnati. Listen to his podcast HERE!