You’re afraid of being alone or you’re afraid of getting hurt. Both of these fears are normal in life, especially those who have experienced any kind of traumatic abandonment or rejection. Some people are born needy and clingy to others. There might have been early infantile attachment issues, or issues with a mother, which could result in difficulty being alone.
When you act out of fear of being alone, you do not act authentically in your relationships or allow your relationships to be authentic. Instead of being built on love, trust, and honesty, your relationships are built on fear, insecurity, and need. Consequently, you make it a higher likelihood that a relationship will become toxic and end. Behaviors which try to prevent any feelings of loneliness are self-sabotaging and often become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Recovery is multifaceted. Part of the reason many people turn to drinking and drug use is to feel more comfortable as themselves, more comfortable around others, and never needing to feel alone. Through your work in recovery you will learn that you are loved and loveable as you are. You don’t need the approval or validation of others to know that you are worthy. Therapeutic work as well as trauma healing can help you resolve the open wounds of the past. By fully accepting your worth and identity in life, realizing that even if you are alone, you are okay, you can start to live more authentically.
If issues of loneliness aren’t addressed, they can be a detriment to recovery. Staying in toxic relationships can turn into abuse which could lead to relapse. Isolating in order to avoid abandonment or getting hurt can cause extreme loneliness and also lead to relapse.
Here are 10 signs you are afraid to be alone:
- You stay in toxic relationships longer than necessary
- You feel you have to be in a “successful” relationship
- You put others’ needs above your own in order to feel loved
- You seek approval and validation from others to feel loved
- You are afraid of abandonment and rejection
- You avoid any kind of emotional confrontation or conflict
- You end a relationship first, because you think your partner might do so
- You push others away to see if they will leave you or not
- You find it difficult to maintain friendships
- You are uncomfortable being by yourself
Recovery assistants are a great way to create a healthy and authentic relationship during the early stages of recovery. Hired Power offers recovery services like recovery assistants to make sure recovery is an empowering experience. For more information on our programs you can trust, call us today at 800-910-9299.
