A lot of times we might mistake being bored for being lonely. Of course, it might not be true for everyone every single time but you should try new activities that involve you leaving the house.
Go for a movie, go to your favorite restaurant to fulfill those cravings, go to the grocery store, buy ingredients, and start cooking – anything that involves moving around. Just because it’s a solo activity, it doesn’t translate to boring, put on your favorite music, just walk out of the house and take in the main character feels unabashed and maybe you won’t feel as lonely.
Social media has distorted our sense of normal. Every story and post is about going out, meeting people and just being out there. What we often forget is that people just post their happiest moments online, no one posts the mundane days of life that involve a lot of introspection and just cleaning around the house.
You might think that that is the way to be but just hear us out, going out and meeting friends, especially when you grow up and have deadlines to meet can be an occasional thing but you will be spending so much of the time with yourself doing the most mundane things be it paying bills or refilling your grocery stock.
Sometimes people don’t get how it feels to be lonely – you might have 10 friends around you but still feel lonely in that crowd. You might have the most loving family and still feel lonely. Being lonely has a lot to do with what you think of yourself and how much you express yourself to others. Going out for parties and having fun does not translate to having the best life. To be able to show your vulnerabilities to others and to be able to express your hardships is what relationships are all about.
We have gathered 6 activities that you can engage in, keeping in mind that dealing with loneliness is not about simply distracting yourself by engaging in these activities, but it’s about understanding why you feel the way you do and dealing with it upfront, and then engaging in activities that you love, to not feel lonely.
8 Practical Ways to Deal With Loneliness
1. Accept loneliness
When you are feeling lonely, the first and the most important thing to do is to accept that you are feeling lonely, or maybe have been feeling lonely for a long period. To deal with anything, the first step is to accept your feelings and then embrace them. Understand that loneliness is not a permanent state that you are going to be in. It’s just a period and you will get over it soon. Know this and accept your feelings, and it will make you feel better.
2. Adopt a pet
Pets are our best friends, aren’t they? If you are someone who hates animals, then this is not something for you but for all animal lovers, adopting a pet can be a great way to not feel lonely. You could be doing the most boring thing, but when you have a pet, it all becomes a little better because they would fill the void that you never knew existed. Just their presence would make you feel like someone you need and love is there with you, all the time, selflessly.
3. Find a hobby
Don’t we all have that one thing that we love doing? Internally, we know what we want to do, but just don’t give much time to it. Whenever you are feeling lonely, engage in the activity that you love the most and you will feel a little better. If you like painting, get out some brushes and paints sit with a paper, and start painting whatever you want and see the magic unfold. We guarantee you that you will feel a little less lonely when you start doing something that truly gives you happiness.
4. Look after yourself
One of the best ways to deal with loneliness is by looking after yourself and giving yourself the time that you require. You can go out and treat yourself to something you love, maybe an ice cream or a delicious pizza. After all, you should always find excuses to look after yourself.
5. Avoid comparing yourself to others
Comparing yourself to others is the last thing that you should do when you are not feeling yourself or are feeling lonely. Comparing yourself to others creates a lot of pressure to become like others, to become the way others are, and can lead to you feeling inadequate.
6. Be kind to yourself
You can be sitting in the most happening party and still be feeling lonely. It can be either way but what is important is being kind to yourself. When you are going through a tough phase, being kind to yourself is the best thing that you can do for yourself. This is your reminder of being kind to yourself no matter what.
7. Get comfortable with spending time alone
Getting comfortable with yourself is the most important thing to do when feeling lonely. The one person who is going to be with you always is you. Therefore, it is very important to be your best friend and to be able to enjoy your company the most, because if you won’t be there for yourself, who else will be? Love yourself more than anything and we guarantee you that you won’t feel lonely anymore.
8. Join a Support Circle
If you are feeling lonely, joining a support circle can be a great idea for you. Support circles are not only meant for people who are experiencing a problem, and one can join it just for support, but if you are feeling lonely, joining a support circle can be helpful because it would give you the support that you require, that too from people who have similar experiences and understand where you are coming from.
GoodLives is your partner in your journey to better mental health, and recently, we have started our community where people from all around the world have joined us, as members who support each other in this diverse support circle or what we call our community of people who are advocating for the need of a good mental health, for themselves and the society as a whole. The GoodLives Support Circle can help you deal with loneliness and three to four people will always be there for you.
There are various other things that you can do to deal with loneliness like if you are a reader, get into books, join a dancing class if you like dancing, and much more. Strengthen your relationships that you already have if they are worth strengthening, and just take it slow. Talk about your feelings and share them with others, and if it gets difficult, talk about it with yourself and a professional.
If you are unable to deal with loneliness on your own, even after trying to deal with it honestly and with all your effort, you can talk to a mental health professional today.
0 Comments