Let’s define loneliness…
Loneliness is a very common feeling which has been experienced by most people in the world. I’m sure we all must have felt lonely at some point in our lives.
Not all of us, however, will express and let our loneliness be known. We would rather keep it concealed to ourselves. In fact many don’t like to admit that they are lonely. Fortunately, there are ways which people can express their loneliness through various expressions such as songs and poems that relate to their feelings. Such exposure and vulnerability isn’t wrong because we all have different ways to express ourselves. It just depends on the individual.
How people react to loneliness…
Not everyone will react to loneliness in the same way. But typically, the reaction is negative involving other feelings such as anxiety and fear. Sometimes this ends up making people feel like they have no meaning in their life.
The most common reaction to loneliness are:
- emptiness: this is the feeling of isolation and the person may also feel like they have nobody by their side.
- hopelessness: usually this feeling comes about when the person feels lonely regardless of the many companions they are surrounded by.
The good news is that some people will react positively where they choose to change and find creative ways to tackle loneliness – but that’s only if they can get to the root cause of it. When someone can admit that they are going through this phase in their life, they are likely to embrace solitude, and by doing so they may feel like they are about to be reborn through reaffirming their identity. This means that being in a state of loneliness, someone is likely to find ways to make something good happen out of it, e.g. creation of self-expression in the form of art may allow for purposeful and satisfying participation in life.
If you feel like you’re not as positive as you should be when it comes to fighting loneliness, maybe some strategies might help you.
Strategies for overcoming loneliness…
Here are some proven strategies which have helped many people deal with their loneliness. If others have benefitted from these strategies, then you can too:
- Accept that you are lonely: it’s not a shameful thing to feel this way. It’s common. Plus it is necessary that you feel comfortable being alone. In the time that you spend being alone, it will allow you to reflect on yourself and this will also help you discover more about you are as an individual. You will understand yourself better.
- Get yourself a journal: a personal journal should help you keep a track/record of your experiences whenever you feel lonely. The main idea behind owning a journal is to spot recurring patterns or trends of loneliness. This will help you get to know yourself more.
- Positive self-talk: the feeling of being without another person or just people in general will also create feelings of worthlessness. By speaking positively about yourself you will eventually know your true worth. The whole point of positive self-talk is to remove all the negative ones.
- Start working on a new you: maybe loneliness is a sign given to you by the universe so that you can go through a ‘rebirth’ stage before you can feel happy again. It might be guiding you through this phase in your life so that you may discover a new beginning. Maybe you should consider a new interest or hobby that will enable you to develop a stronger sense of yourself. All of this will lead you to stay busy, giving you feelings of success and adds to your self-worth.
- Try to interact and be sociable with others: often, loneliness is present with the feeling that you have nothing good enough to offer or get from others. Typically, lonely people with a poor understanding of themselves don’t accept positive things that are said to them. Therefore, if someone, for example, gives you a compliment, listen to it and accept it. You are worthy of compliments.
- Have more conversations: lonely people tend to not have very good conversational skills. This prevents them from meeting new people and making friends. To avoid this from happening, you should work on communicating with your family members first. If that’s uncomfortable, try people in your class. Your school. College. Work place. Or try to reach out to people with a similar interest as you. See what a simple “hello” can lead you to. Don’t be afraid. Try to talk to people. They won’t bite you. It will improve your ability to communicate more.
- Manage your anxiety: perhaps anxiety plays a big role in stopping people from dealing with loneliness effectively. It makes them anxious and believe they will feel lonely forever. To eliminate symptoms of anxiety, you should take at least 30 minutes of your day doing some kind of activity such as stretching or yoga that will focus on deep breathing and relaxing your muscles. This is a skill which you must learn to master on your own, and with daily practice you will eventually become a professional in managing your anxiety.
If you can follow the above strategies with a positive, disciplined, motivated and dedicated mindset, then you will start to notice a great difference in your life. It won’t happen overnight, but daily changes and improvements no matter how small, will eventually lead to a big positive result. You will feel much happier and complete. And, of course, less lonelier.