Why Lunch Alone Makes Feelings Grow
When you sit alone in a restaurant with no lunch plans, do you spend longer looking at your phone than eating? This is a story for you.
Scenes
- Eating lunch alone makes your feelings grow — Even sitting among people, you can feel alone and keep checking your phone. This is a story for you.
- The harder you pretend you’re fine, the longer lunch feels — Sometimes, afraid admitting you’re lonely will make you feel even more pathetic, you keep scrolling with an unbothered face.
- The noodles grow cold, but the screen keeps looking new — At 12:30 p.m. in the noodle shop, you left your phone propped up and checked the screen, with no notifications, again and again.
- The screen covers loneliness, but it doesn’t let your heart rest — Regulating your feelings doesn’t mean making them disappear right away. It starts by leaving a brief pause between a trigger and what you feel.
- For the first three bites, name just one thing you see — Turn your phone face down, and for the first three bites, notice just one thing—the bowl’s color or the broth’s warmth. It’s okay if it feels awkward at first.
- Being alone and feeling lonely aren’t the same thing — Even if you turn the screen back on, you haven’t failed. Noticing the moment your feelings grew today is already a start. Together, we’ll look for the next pause.
Stories by Dalbit
- Dalbit
- When dinner with my coworkers ends, I think of the path my parents chose for me.
- When I close the door after work, I can’t think of anyone to reach out to.
- When a notification comes in, my shoulders tense up first.
- On payday, I want to ask how you are first
- When I think of my child’s report card, I end up grading myself too.
- After hearing about my friend, my own day feels small.
- Even in the salon mirror, the silence between me and my husband follows me.
- Folding laundry, I start worrying about my child again