#15. one is the loneliest number

or is it?

dialoguing is a newsletter from an off-duty psychotherapist keeping the conversation going on how to make sense of this life thing we’re all doing. if you ever wondered what your therapist does off the clock—which, who among us hasn’t?—this is like that. think of it as the adult equivalent of seeing a teacher at the grocery store picking out lemons. 🍋

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I got a joke for ya?

What do smoking 15 cigarettes a day and loneliness have in common?

A similar impact on our risk of premature death.

Lolz, amirite?

America has a loneliness problem on a good day. On a sunny day when the birds are chirping and living is “easy.” Now, take away the sun, bring me cold, doom & gloom and living is hard–like wearing 4 different layers of clothes, hard—and add a sprinkle of the commercialized version of the holidays we are all sold, but only a few experience. Loneliness gets high on it’s own supply this time of year. You may have even heard that the U.S. Surgeon General has referred to loneliness as an epidemic.

This week we will be dialoguing about loneliness and grief. Not exactly the same, but also not all that different, especially around the holiday szn.

what to expect from this edition:

❄️holiday series: grief and loneliness❄️

If you want more info and my full disclaimer check out the about page here. Abridged version: I’m a therapist, but not your therapist—even if you are a client of mine ~hi!~ this isn’t a session. dialoguing is an educational and informational newsletter only, not a substitute for mental health treatment. If you’re new here, a great place to start is my first ever edition of this newsletter.

Content warning: Parenting, grief and death, explicit, as always

Let’s start with a blanket disclaimer: If you feel like you’re the only one filled with grief and loneliness during the holidays, I can assure you, you’re not. 

Now, you may feel like it. I know I do, next to my husband, Mr. Holiday Joy and Excitement himself. But feeling like you are the only one and being the only one are two very different things.