Overcoming Lonliness Now and Quickly

Even the most extrovert of us can feel lonely at times, whether we are on our own or surrounded by people; it is a natural emotion, but if it is dominating your life it can be very difficult to know how to overcome loneliness. Our lives can be so hectic that it is often hard to make the time to socialise and maintain friendships and relationships, and it can often feel as though those closest to us do not have any time for us.

There may be certain times when we feel lonely, such as when a relationship has ended or our children have grown up and moved on. It can be very difficult to admit that we are feeling lonely, and this can make us feel even more isolated. In this article we explore seven ways to help you to overcome loneliness.

Make the effort to keep in touch with friends and family. It can be very tempting to think that they do not want to spend time with you if you don’t hear from them often, but the reality is that they probably do not realize that they haven’t seen you or been in touch for some time. Instead of sitting it out waiting for them to contact, take the first step and contact them. Make a point of phoning them regularly for a chat, or make arrangements to meet up; never be afraid of being the one who maintains the contact. If you make the effort they will reciprocate.

Think of all the friends and relatives you have lost contact with. Most of the time you will have simply drifted apart- are there any who you can get back in touch with and reintroduce back into your life?

Make some new friends. Look around your local area for clubs and groups which match your interests and join them. You will find that you have a shared interest with the other members which will make it easier to form friendships. If there isn’t a group in your area for your particular interest, maybe you could start one. Some hobbies have active forums and chat rooms online, which you could participate in. Be careful not to become too carried away by this however as this is not an ideal substitute for spending quality time with people.

Consider enrolling in night school to study a subject you would like to learn more about. You will meet other students with the same interests, and may be included in social outings, such as going for a drink after the course session.

Many travel companies run specialist vacations, for example bird watching trips or photography tours. They usually cater for small groups, around half of whom are usually single. Activities are generally undertaken as a whole group so nobody is left out, and many people make lasting friendships.

If you have time on your hands, consider being a volunteer at a charity store or animal rescue shelter. As well as being busy, you will meet new people and will experience a feeling of fulfilment knowing that you are helping others. Some organisations have a befriending scheme you could join which visits and helps housebound folks such as the elderly.

Change your mindset. If you are alone one evening, decide that you are choosing to be alone, and use the time to do something special for yourself. Take a bubble bath with lots of scented candles, watch a movie, listen to some special music or start that book you have been meaning to read. Learn to value the time you spend alone as special ‘you’ time.

Loneliness can be a devastating emotion, and can affect the way we view ourselves and even our self esteem. Hopefully these tips have given you some useful ideas of how to overcome loneliness and bring some joy back into your life.

Help other people discover this post

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.