Nip Bank Holiday Blues in the Bud - Pick up the Phone
Once upon a time there was a bank holiday coming and all the lifestyle magazines, the television, and the hardware shops had, for the last month, been talking about char-grilling and play-tents, picnic hampers and family movies in case of rain. And no doubt there were many families in the land with a double income and the whole thing made economic sense - but you were not in a family. You were single and, what's more, slightly over the age where to be single is considered fun. To have fun as a single in the land you had to be 20-25, drink lots of coffee and straighten your hair.
Much of the year you loved your life. There were all kinds of reasons, built on good solid ground, for not being in a family. But then came a strange three day holiday and before you knew it your sense of your beautiful life leached away and there you were, feeling inadequate.
What's more you didn't notice until the holiday was upon you. You were probably too busy living and getting on with the things that made your life great or comfortable, to notice what that saturated feeling was. And then by the time you understood - it was too late.
About 2pm on Bank Holiday Sunday, to be precise. You've just read the papers and you decide to go for a walk. The first thing you notice is that it's quieter. The chattering classes are away at their second homes. But even though you usually love peace, it leaves you uneasy. Why? You become introspective and some kind of inner struggle can begn here that is hard to dispel.
So what's the answer? Pick up the phone. The only thing preventing you from picking up the phone is the idea that everyone else is out living the life of the adverts but there are millions of us, all across the land, suddenly beached like a whale on a Bank Holiday. You're not alone. The strength of the media blitz has made you think you are and that's depressing.
In fact 15% of us in the UK live alone and a good proportion of us probably didn't plan anything for the bank holiday. Never believe you are completely alone. Every singleton suffers from this at sometime in their life and people in couples where the intimacy isn't ideal often say this is a time they feel extra lonely. Chances are one of your friends will be available for a chat at this crucial point. All it takes is a half hour human conversation and the sense of connection will dispel the blues and give you a chance to take charge of your life again. You don't have to make arrangements. Just talk with the clear motive of getting the best out of the conversation for both you and the person you are calling. It works. Tomorrow is another day.
