Do Berliners Feel Lonely? | Easy German 617

Hi everyone We're here in Berlin a city with nearly four million residents which means you're constantly surrounded by people Among people yet there are moments when I feel lonely Today I’d like to ask people: when do you feel lonely and what helps against their loneliness Let's go When do you feel lonely When do I feel lonely I feel lonely when I sense that I can't express my emotions Also if I don't feel well enough to express what's going on inside me I feel lonely when I have nothing to do and when no friends or family are nearby Oh that's an interesting question Actually nothing about me fits quite right never Even solitary happiness right Yes I think we're both musicians and when we're alone I believe you do exactly as I do We sit down with an instrument and play and yet I find this loneliness—almost never I feel extremely lonely when I can't communicate at all Also if I go for a very long time without any contact with people but still feel the need to connect with something Sharing it then I feel lonely even in a very full space I feel lonely when I go through something intense and my closest friends aren't around or with whom I can't share the moment When do you feel lonely When I don’t have social connections and that’s very important And for me luckily I have my two daughters here along with my granddaughters So I’ve built connections and quite strong ones too right here in my home—we have a very lovely community living together If I had no contact with my friends or family I would already be say that a little piece of home is simply missing and I then associate that loneliness with home And if that's not present something's definitely missing I feel the most alone when I'm in a room full of people somehow I'm feeling a bit lost and somehow it's like no one else is around So now I don’t feel like being with anyone from all these people Guys then you kind of feel lonely like everyone else somehow has someone and you don’t When do you feel lonely Actually never That's interesting Really never Can you not recall any situation where you've ever I'm very old so I've learned to have plenty of fun with myself And that's why I rarely actually feel lonely I feel loneliest when I'm on vacation and completely alone For example if it's summer and I know everyone else is busy with friends then And then when I'm on vacation and alone somewhere that's when I feel the loneliest Have there ever been moments in your life when you felt lonely Yes certainly Also about 15 years ago when I got divorced I felt lonely for a while Yes until I’ve found myself again and restored my life to order My parents both passed away recently so naturally the family is now missing Then it's just around Christmas when the family's smaller that I guess you feel lonely I'd say the last time I felt lonely was for example when I was I live together with my girlfriend and when she was away for a week once and then somehow you get used to being together yes and whe and then if you end up spending the evening alone you start thinking like that drifting into reflectio And you think like that ah somehow it's actually kind of nice you know when you're just two people together maybe sitting on the couch or something yeah Yes especially when you're used to it you know always having someone around just naturally yes How would you describe the feeling of loneliness I think feeling small in contrast to a vast world—that 's how I'd express it What does loneliness feel like Hmm sad as bad as an old roll no idea not so nice Good comparison Could better but something just doesn't feel right What does the feeling of loneliness feel like Yes for me it feels torn apart—like it's been cut straight down the middle with one half missing and the other remaining It blooms and hurts Wow that's so beautiful So for me it feels like a hole in my stomach as if something's missing what It was removed With me it's very much like a tightness in the chest kind of a constriction but it feels like It's as if this tightness doesn't quite enclose anything at all It's like a constricted feeling yet I can't quite grasp what it is because there's seemingly nothing there You described that very beautifully I think it's very similar for me too—yes also in the chest area and a pulling sensation It's definitely a heavy feeling—something I feel more in my chest right here in the stomach area at least for me It makes breathing a bit harder It slightly clouds the mind Clear thinking becomes difficult Feeling a bit helpless at that moment unsure whether one should proceed or not Doing the right thing because one cannot be sure of receiving help when facing significant problems Someone who might occasionally pull a long face perhaps because we’re doing or saying something wrong I believe there's also such a thing as a happy solitude where you experience many joyful moments whether it's a celebration or an experience but your favorite people aren't there For instance since I'm from Russia and my family still lives there I ca Sharing so many moments isn't the same over the phone The quality is different and eventually I just lost interest I'd rather sort it out with myself than call again I think it's one of the worst feelings because it's so hard to let go I'll say And I think loneliness can easily creep into you quite effortlessly And when you're truly lonely it's also hard to crawl back out of that hole To put it simply being lonely is just plain awful Do you ever feel lonely and just want to distract yourself Then we highly recommend our partner app Seatlang At Seatlang you'll find a wide variety of interactive exercises to help you improve your German including our Trivia feature For example Cari or I will host the show and you can answer questions from other real German learners while improving your German at the same time How many episodes of Game of Thrones are there You've watched a lot of TV there are 73 episodes of Game of Thrones You absolutely must try it out Visit seatlang com or download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store Is there a difference between being alone and feeling lonely Yes a big one For me being alone means I truly enjoy it and relish the time by myself Loneliness I would say is involuntary solitude Loneliness is something you choose yourself in my perception Solitude on the other hand is when you don't really have that choice Maybe you'd wish you weren't alone at that moment but the person you're longing for isn't here right now Or generally unfortunately perhaps many people Is there a difference between being alone and feeling lonely Yes absolutely There's this solitude which one needs to relax and recharge What's important and right for many people is also important and right for me When I go for a walk now for example I'm alone but not lonely because I choose it that way Loneliness is feeling like you need someone or missing someone And solitude is simply the conscious experience of having time just for oneself Is there a difference between loneliness and being alone I do believe it I think you can be alone and still be happy in some way But I think in a way that being alone for a very long time often leads to feeling lonely Also I think being alone is somewhat of a state that can be perceived from the outside And I think loneliness is like something that happens inside you something no one can truly see But I believe they are very closely connected I also believe that to some extent loneliness is connected to self-perception and how satisfied one truly is with oneself I think you feel loneliness more acutely when you're alone Even when you're struggling deeply with yourself it's often worse than when you're not What helps with loneliness In any case look for strategies on what can be done Seeking balance finding a hobby—something that keeps you a little occupied in the meantime Or just consciously immerse yourself fully and sometimes it goes a bit faster That's true of sorrow and everything else—when you consciously feel it and consciously allow yourself to experience it There are moments after all when unpleasant feelings have to be there and then they sometimes pass more quickly What helps you when you feel lonely Obviously visiting friends heading to Berlin Otherwise definitely sports too—sports are always my outlet Whether it's going for a run paddleboarding working out boxing or anything else The key is to do something and afterward you'll definitely feel a bit more energized And it also boosts the good mood a bit for sure Hanging out with friends crying together or going for ice cream—those are our plans But definitely music—music saved me back then I have two cats and they help with everything I don't really like calling my mom or talking to her when she happens to be nearby Because I know I have someone who’s always there for me no matter what And then that feeling of having no one at all simply fades away What helps me is remembering that it's precisely this perception itself Also that it often stems from misunderstandings or is situation-specific And reminding myself that it's just a snapshot in time These feelings arise from that and it's not factual I am not factually alone but I feel alone And I believe that helps me distinguish it What helps you when you feel loneliness Television Distraction too Exactly distraction helps then certainly Because it can be unbearable at times And then I just distract myself Or I'll go to sleep Trying to fall asleep First just sit with the feeling and gently acknowledge it And then most often either consume some form of art Sometimes there are films that when I watch them I suddenly just don’t feel lonely anymore Simply because the art before you then inspires you or whatever Or perhaps just write down right then and there why you're feeling the way you do or what you're experiencing in that moment I have my entire system set up because I know for instance that certain films art and cultural experiences affect me Which film for example Goodness that's hanging on I'm checking up on my favorite directors But sometimes I just need a bit of positivity too I'm not watching comedies right now But maybe Perfect Days by Wim Wenders He was in theaters last year It's such a beautiful film It's truly a film against loneliness It's a completely life-affirming movie I'll take a look at it I'm not sure right now I think I haven't seen it yet Beautiful And that's exactly the point—being content with what you have and still finding beauty in it It's truly beautiful to hear that each of us feels lonely at times And sometimes just knowing there are others out there feeling the same thing can make a big difference Now we're eager to see what happens When do you feel lonely and what helps you overcome it Let us know in the comments below And if you'd like to keep improving your German become a member of Easy German All additional information can also be found below in the infobox See you next time Bye