Take five minutes to complete this sentence over and over: "As long as I do ____________, I avoid feeling lonely." (This might include getting stoned, overindulging in bread or chocolate or caffeine, reaching for a beer or glass of wine, surfing the net, jumping immediately into a new relationship, or working all the time.) Be completely honest with yourself. Amuse yourself with all the ways you have manufactured to skip over, crawl under, or bypass loneliness. Now ask yourself, "Does it work? Does it just postpone the inevitable? What price do I pay for this in my health, my relationship, my creative expression?"
— Carolyn Hobbs in Joy No Matter What