What makes me upset is that I’ve realized the people around me associate loneliness and sadness with not having a significant other and being in a relationship.

My mind is boggled thinking about the fact that people still rely on being in a relationship to provide companionship and happiness. I, on the other hand, do not follow that mindset. Why wait for a romantic relationship to feel loved when you are surrounded by friends, family, and even pets that care about you? Nowadays, teenagers are so compelled by social standards to date someone to be able to post about it on social media to seem cool and have a “title.” This leads to the questionable thought of if someone is interested in you or if they’re just tired of being alone. No one should ever neglect their self-worth and settle for less to eliminate the feeling of loneliness. After all, it’s known that most high school relationships don’t last very long anyway, so why stress so much about being lonely? When someone complains that they’re lonely, they’re never actually lonely. Their perception of loneliness just excludes their friends, family, etc. Make it a weekly or a monthly thing to see your friends or dedicate some time to spend with your family to stop the feeling of being alone (physically and mentally), even if it’s just for a short period. I don’t think anyone deserves to be forgotten and left alone. They might not show it, but I recommend checking up on your friends or even your family members just to see how they’re doing. Who knows if someone is currently at their worst but just masking their emotions. When I’m feeling down I remind myself there’s no need to feel lonely when I have my trusty companion, Boba. He’s always there to comfort me and just lay with me whenever. Pets are the best type of company because they don’t talk. That sounds sad but if you think about it, it means they can’t talk back to you, argue, or cause drama or stress. They just provide you with their presence. We all have our moments where our mind is clouded by an overwhelming amount of emotions, but in times like that, just remember you’re never truly alone.