This isn’t going to be an article that tells you how to fix your loneliness with 5 easy steps. It’s not going to give you a gratitude practice or a mindfulness exercise that makes everything better. Sorry, not sorry. This is an article about sitting with what’s real. About naming the loneliness that shows up during the holidays, especially the kind that doesn’t fit the neat narratives we tell about who’s lonely and why.

Feeling burned out? Learn how to set boundaries and protect your energy when the world won't stop asking. Practical tips for the holiday season and beyond.

Last week, I asked you to take one honest step toward finding yourself again. Then I sat back and watched the messages roll in. I heard you all confessing you’re too tired to even think about steps. Too overwhelmed to journal. Too depleted to figure out what they want. One woman wrote: “Girl, my honest step right now is just getting through Christmas without calling my mama crying. Is that enough?” I stared at that word for a long time. Enough. And I realized: I’ve been asking myself the...