“Sometimes loneliness isn’t having no one to talk to. It’s watching the person you’re talking to look somewhere else.”

That thought is part of why I’m writing The Loneliness of Not Being Heard.

We can have people around us, conversations throughout the day, and messages waiting on our phones—and still feel unheard.

As I work on this book, I keep returning to the importance of attention. What happens when we give someone enough time to finish their thought? When we ask another question? When we resist the urge to turn the conversation toward ourselves?

I want to explore these questions here as the book develops.

What does someone do that helps you know they are truly listening?