Feeling lonely can be incredibly disheartening and cause sadness, anxiety, hopelessness and low confidence. Even with an active social life, you can feel lonely if you lack closeness in your relationships. Many people do not realize how common their experiences are. Loneliness is a widespread public health epidemic linked to both mental and physical concerns, including depression and heart disease. However, you can use various strategies to cope and improve your social connections, mitigating these risks.
Practice self-care
Loneliness presents an opportunity for introspection and self-care. A period of isolation might be your chance to explore interests, consider your needs and think about the person you want to be. Considering your own wellbeing will help you be more equipped to reduce and manage loneliness. Let these tips guide you:
Have healthy habits. Caring for your body can reduce stress, anxiety and sadness caused by loneliness. Research shows that mental and physical health are related. Exercising regularly helps your body release endorphins, chemicals that boost mood, and also helps reduce cortisol, the stress hormone. Sleeping enough is also crucial. Those who get six or fewer hours of sleep are 2.5 times more likely to experience mental distress, according to a 2021 study.
Build a routine. Having a daily and weekly routine can limit idle time when you feel lonely. Importantly, your schedule should not just be centered around work and responsibilities. Block out time for resting and engaging in things you enjoy.
Limit social media use. While intended for connection, social media often causes disconnection by encouraging constant comparison to others, worsening self-image. Seeing posts of others spending time with their loved ones can make you feel alone. Additionally, spending hours scrolling may temporarily limit negative feelings but will diminish your energy. If you do choose to use social media, do so in ways that make you feel more connected. Focus on content created by close loved ones and consider checking in on them after seeing their posts.
Participate in hobbies. Hobbies can help you feel fulfilled, gain confidence and distract you from loneliness. These can be anything, from cooking to gardening to yoga. Consider trying something new, perhaps something you have always been interested in but have never done. The Internet and books are valuable resources to learn about activities and find inspiration.
Build connections
Loneliness hurts, but it’s a reminder of the importance of connection. Take loneliness as a sign that you should improve your relationships and foster new ones. Love and friendship from others are crucial to feeling a sense of belonging. You need people you can confide in, share time with and rely on.
Open up. Talking about your loneliness openly can be relieving and improve your relationships. Find someone you trust and feel comfortable with to have this conversation. This might be a friend, family member, teacher, religious mentor, therapist or counselor. You will often find others are empathetic and have experienced similar challenges.
Strengthen your relationships. You may socialize regularly but still struggle with loneliness because you lack closeness with others. Consider the challenges in your relationships that make you feel alone. Do you need more quality time together, or do you feel communication has decreased? Calmly talking to your friend, family member or partner about your concerns and listening to their own can help you become closer.
Know when to let go. In some cases, a relationship may not be worth pursuing. While it seems counterintuitive, sometimes spending time with certain people can lead to loneliness because of irreconcilable differences in personality and perspective. Relationships are complex, especially familial ones, so know it is OK to distance yourself if you need to. Doing so can allow you to form new bonds.
Practice initiating. Fear of judgment can make it challenging to initiate meet-ups with others. However, initiating is a necessary part of maintaining relationships. Reaching out to others regularly can alleviate fear by exposing you to the process of interacting. Try taking small steps toward initiating. Consider texting someone first, then calling them and asking whether they would like to hang out.
Volunteer. Volunteering is a wonderful way to spend time with people while making a positive difference. Places to volunteer include animal shelters, soup kitchens, hospitals, parks and libraries. Many organizations need people with specialized skills, such as graphic design or accounting knowledge.
Join a class or club. Classes and clubs can help you meet others with similar interests. If you are new to a hobby, a class allows you to learn with the support of a teacher and other learners. Low-cost options are often available at parks, libraries and community centers and cater to various interests. You might attend a class or club related to a musical instrument, art, sport, language or type of exercise.
Loneliness is challenging, but with some effort, you can make positive changes to reduce it. Caring for your wellbeing and taking steps to foster close relationships can help you feel a sense of belonging and connection.