How Following Up With a Friend Can Cure Loneliness

This post is part two of a series.

In part one of this series, I spoke about loneliness in the context of a friendship — when we're lonely inside a relationship and even inside a "friendship." I described two friends, Jane and Melly, and a choice Melly made (that so many of us make) in an effort to take care of her friend and protect her from painful feelings. In part one, I also promised a different kind of choice that we can make in our friendships, one that can alleviate loneliness and create deeper and radically more meaningful connections. Spoiler alert: The choice is simple and obvious (and yet we still don’t do it).

Here's what it looks like... If a friend tells you about a difficult situation in their life, something challenging or painful they're struggling with, the next