We asked women entrepreneurs what they do with loneliness

While men have just one hormone to take care of the mood, women have three. Not only does she have to content with a wider range, the levels of these hormones keep changing within the month. So when a woman thinks that she is lonely, there is an epic battle coming her way. We asked members of #shegrow how they tackle loneliness both as a woman and as an entrepreneur. Here are some usual answers and some surprises.

Understanding the difference between being lonely and being alone

Many of us want to be alone by choice at the time we would like to choose. Loneliness comes without any warning and then the mother leaves her mobile in the living room while she is busy in the kitchen.

We can be surrounded by a large number of people in a room but yet feel alone. We can be dealing with people throughout the day but yet feel lonely at the end of the day.

Let us understand the word alone first. It is usually used in the context of being without anyone by choice. I can choose to go to the park alone and sit on the bench doing nothing. It is mostly by choice and it is usually an enjoyable feeling. Most of the people who read a book want to feel being alone. A book helps you take your mind away from the worries. So being alone for many people is a form of relaxation and getting recharged. But for people it can also be not of choice. Like say being left alone in the room. You may not like you being ignored in a room full of people.

Loneliness is an emotional state. It signifies a feeling of isolation and it is definitely connected to a sad state of mind. It is the situation when you want to connect with someone and no one is actually available for you. If you are made to feel unloved or you are feeling unwanted in this world. You can be staying with a lot of people in a family, but still loneliness will hit you hard.

The answers what we got

Nisha Goel of Art with Heart is an accomplished commercial artist and art teacher with two art studios in New Delhi. She says that the moment loneliness hits her, she goes to scrolling on social media. After that when loneliness hits the peak, she switches to her routine with strict timelines.

Meenakshi Goel says that she accepts getting lonely as life moves along. She gets puzzled when she sees busy people around her and then starts doubting on herself. On personal basis as a woman she tries to speak to people over a phone call. Good food and a walk is also on cards. But she is most better off with spending time with friends and neighbours. She makes a clear distinction between work related loneliness and personal loneliness. In case of work related, she keeps searching for new things and new possibilities and tries to keep herself updated.

Aarti Gupta, Founder and Owner of Glitzy Nails Studio has that one friend whom she always confides with when she is lonely. She considers herself to be lucky to have got such a friend but if at times she is not available, she turns to social media to watch something. When work related loneliness creeps in, she sets out to learn something new and keep herself busy with something.

Rekha Gupta prefers to spend time alone. She is specific about not talking to people whom she know. Rekha feels that a woman entrepreneur sometimes gets overwhelmed with house hold work and looking after the husband and kids. In such a situation she simply goes out alone and enjoys things outside.

Jaspreet Kaur is a home baker and owner of brand Sugar Bliss. So as a creator and cook it is understandable when she says that when lonely, she shuts out the world and eats lot of food and watch a movie. After that she goes for a workout. On the work front if she get lonely she watches other people from the same profession working on her goals and she gets motivated again.

Rashmi Goel provides Kitchen Solutions using Tupperware. She is the one who stands out by saying that loneliness never hits her. Her secret is that she can anticipate when loneliness is poised to hit her. She takes care of it by using a most powerful weapon, herself. She thinks herself to be her best friend with whom she can talk to and confide in. Plus she already keeps herself busy with work and taking care of her family. She has trained herself as an entrepreneur to motivate herself and explore new things and idea. Here is the perfect example of a woman entrepreneur placing herself above all.

Berries Women is run by Kamalpreet Kaur and she associates loneliness with being sad or upset. She tries to divert her mind by doing aerobics. She also listens to music specially spiritual. On the part of being an entrepreneur, she first tells herself to stay calm. But at times, she allows herself to burst into tears but she does that only when she is alone. Speaking to God, she asks to show the way and guide her. At the same time explore new ideas and new things.

The universal solution

Reaching the point of balance between work and professional life is most of the battle. Rest all falls in place after that.