What is lonely?

Loneliness is when you feel like no one else understands what you're feeling.

Imagine you have a favorite toy, maybe it's a teddy bear or a robot that can do cool tricks. You play with it every day, and it makes you happy. Now imagine you're in a big room full of other kids playing with their own toys. No one is playing with you. You feel like no one else knows how special your toy is to you, it's like being the only person who speaks secret language that no one else understands.

Sometimes, loneliness happens when you're not sharing something important with others. If you're sitting in a park and everyone else is playing tag or jumping on a trampoline, but you are just watching your favorite bird fly by, that's like having your own private show no one else gets to see.

Loneliness doesn’t last forever! Sometimes another kid walks up and says, “Hey, do you want to play with me?” Then it feels like the secret language is now shared, and suddenly, you're not alone anymore.