How to Carry Loneliness Without Letting It Swallow You

First,

treat it like a stray animal.

Don’t look it in the eyes.

Don’t run.

Just sit still long enough

for it to believe

you are not a threat.

Name it something gentle—

something that won’t shame you

when it follows you home.

Do not try to kill it with company.

That only teaches it

how to hide better.

Instead,

pour two cups of tea.

One for you.

One for the ache.

Let it speak.

It doesn’t have a loud voice,

but it knows your name

better than most.

Keep your room dim.

Bright light embarrasses the shadows.

And this one—

this shadow—

has stories to tell

about every silence

you mistook for healing.

Build it a shelf.

Give it a journal.

Teach it

how to stay

without taking.

When it gets heavy,

carry it in your palms,

not your spine.

You were never meant

to bow beneath emotions

you were born to outgrow.

And when it sleeps,

finally,

don’t wake it.

Just slip quietly into morning.

Take the warmth with you.

Leave the door cracked.

It may visit again.

But next time,

you’ll know

where to put it.