We all feel lonely at one point in time or the other. It is completely normal, feeling lonely. However, things can turn into serious medical issues when loneliness manifests itself into depression, physical pain, and other health problems. So, how to deal with feeling lonely?
We bring to you 14 ways in which you can deal with loneliness in your life.
1. Live in the present moment: What you are doing in the present moment, is what matters the most. Very often we feel lonely and miserable because we forget to put our concentration on what we are doing in the present moment, instead, we choose to focus on what we are missing out on. We choose to dwell on our past trauma or events in the past on which we have no hold on at the present. Holding on to memories of sad events in the past will only lead you to feel sorry for yourself and lead to further feelings of loneliness. If you are involved in any work, focus on doing the same. If you are with your near and dear ones, be it, friends or family – hang out with them, make the most out of the present moment.
2. Talk to your friends: Reach out to your friends whenever feelings of loneliness creep in. Text them, talk to them on a voice call, video calls if possible. Plan a meetup with friends at some cafe or someplace else. Take a break from work and go for a day out with friends.
3. Start small talk with new people: Meet like-minded new people online and start having conversations with them about topics that you like. It can also be people in your neighborhood, or the guy at the grocery shop, for that matter.
4. Read a book: It does not matter whether you are a bookworm or not – reading a book is always beneficial for you because every time you turn the pages of a book, you learn something new and grow as a human being. If digital is more of your forte, download PDFs on your MacBook, phone, or laptop and start reading.
5. Pursue your hobbies: If you are passionate about something, make sure that you spend some time pursuing those passions – be it dance, music, art, or something else. When you spend time pursuing your hobbies, you will feel relaxed and much better about yourself – the feeling of loneliness will be gone.
6. Learn something new: Have a curious mind always and be eager to learn something new. Join a class or a club if you have spare time and take up some new skills!
7. Make new friends: Befriend new people at work or via online mediums and broaden your horizon. When you interact with new people, you learn a lot of new things and this adds to your experience.
8. Travel someplace new: Take every opportunity to travel somewhere. The more you travel, the more enriched you become as an individual.
9. Volunteer someplace: If you have some time to spare, go visit an orphanage, an old age home, or an NGO and volunteer as per your capabilities. The volunteering experience will enhance you as a human being.
10. Pet an animal: Spending time with animals is therapeutic for our health. Adopt an animal and keep it as a pet – it will definitely bring you a sense of calm and peace of mind.
11. Be kind to yourself: Very often we feel so down and depressed that we forget to be kind to ourselves. When you feel lonely, do not blame yourself for it and do not feel low. Practice being kind to everyone, most importantly yourself first.
12. Practice self-care: Learn to take care of yourself at all times good and bad. Being lonely simply is not an excuse to stop practicing self-care.
Read more: 6 “Me Time” Ideas and Benefits of It
13. Keep yourself occupied with work: Keeping busy with something is one of the effective ways to stop feeling lonely. Get some extra work done for the day and soon you will be feeling better about yourself!
14. Seek professional help: If you feel lonely for unusually long periods of time and feel like you are gradually getting drowned in depression because of it, do not ignore the issue and seek out professional help from a therapist as early as possible. Talking to a medical professional would certainly help you out when you feel like you are facing serious mental health issues due to your loneliness.
Being lonely is completely normal, but make sure that the feeling of loneliness is not affecting you in a negative manner. Take steps to alleviate the loneliness if possible. Remember, it is important to spend time with oneself as well. You can learn to be alone and yet not be feeling lonely. We hope this article helps you get some insights on loneliness and how to overcome the feeling of loneliness.
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