Loneliness. It’s generally seen as a negative thing. I think self reflection, educating yourself and just taking the time to think when nobody is around are important to ‘character development’ if that’s what you want to call it. Simply being on my own has helped me evaluate my goals, beliefs and perspective on things recently.
People value relationships, physical socialisation, and all the experiences that come alongside it. With the weather turning to nothing ideal, it’s likely a lot of people will be stuck inside and facing the issue of how to combat boredom as well as loneliness, something which has led me to find a new definition of happiness.
‘Flow states are where happiness lives’
Jimmy Carr
Yes. Out of everyone, a comedian made me realise what the true meaning of happiness is, and it’s as simple as doing what makes you lose track of time. It can genuinely be anything, and I wish I’d noticed it sooner.
One thing that stands out to me from this definition is that it’s difficult to realise what truly makes you feel happy. Sure, you can notice specific hobbies, for example I enjoy skating and photography, but I can easily lose track of time learning about personal finance, looking at social media algorithms and how people use this to their advantage. There’s a balance between social activities where I can recognise the emotional output, compared to the things I do when alone, which I’ve only ever viewed as a way to waste time.
A majority of the things I just listed can be done individually, adding some value to the feeling of being alone. Loneliness tends to lead me to activities that bring happiness, whether I realise it or not.
It’s interesting to think that all things I now recognise as a source of happiness, were initiated by me. They’re not things where peers said ‘hey, you should try this’, but all activities that I have managed to stumble across throughout my life and decided to continue with.
I believe that the feeling of happiness truly comes from self, but can be enhanced by others.
Zak Michaelwaite 
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