It can be hard to say goodbye, because you know that you will be going back to being alone. Especially when you are very close to someone, or when you are very lonely. Saying goodbye can be difficult because you are (rightly) not interested in being alone. It can cause a very hard down after a very pleasant and long-lasting high. So how do you say goodbye? How do you part when you know that parting is not sweet sorrow, as Shakespeare wrote, but something that will just lead to sorrow. However, staying too long can also lead to problems, if you worry about what people will say about you.

So how do you accept that it is time to part? For some it is an easier process than others. But the acceptance that while this is goodbye it is not so forever is a good first step. The knowledge that while you might be alone now, you wont last in that state is also important to recognize. Especially when the person saying goodbye is someone who you spend a lot of time with, you should feel comfortable that they will return and you will see them again.

In the meantime, it is important to not look upon loneliness as a terminal state. Look for ways to occupy yourself. You will know when you are going to be alone, and you can find things to do with that time, so you are not as sad and lonely.