THE LONELINESS OF NIGHT SHIFTS
There is a unique kind of loneliness in being awake while the rest of the world sleeps.
People often think the hardest part of working night shifts is being tired.
They’re wrong.
For me, the hardest part has always been the loneliness.
When most people are waking up, you’re going to bed. When friends and family are meeting for coffee, you’re trying to get some sleep. Weekends, evenings and ordinary routines often become something that happens around you rather than with you.
Over time, you begin to live slightly out of step with the rest of the world.
Night shifts can be strange. There are long periods of quiet where your mind has nothing to do except think. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes it isn’t.
I’ve spent many nights solving problems, planning projects and thinking about the future. I’ve also spent nights worrying about things that probably didn’t deserve quite as much attention as I gave them.
The truth is that isolation has a way of making thoughts louder.
For someone living with cyclothymia and panic disorder, that can be a challenge. There are times when the quiet helps me think clearly. There are other times when too much time alone with my thoughts isn’t particularly helpful.
What keeps me grounded are the things that matter most. Family. Friends. Community. Purpose.
Over the years, I’ve learned that loneliness and being alone are not the same thing.
Being alone is sometimes necessary.
Loneliness is something different.
It is the feeling of being disconnected from the world around you.
The answer, at least for me, has been finding ways to stay connected. Talking to people. Getting involved in my community. Spending time with family. Writing. Walking. Reminding myself that there is a world beyond the four walls of a workplace in the middle of the night.
Night shifts have taught me resilience. They have taught me discipline. They have taught me to appreciate ordinary moments that many people take for granted.
Most of all, they have taught me that human connection matters.
Because no matter how independent we think we are, none of us are meant to go through life entirely alone.