Do you feel that you are isolated? If so, there are ways that you can connect with family and friends so that you can communicate and feel at peace. Since there is internet and social media, connecting with people is not hard at all. So, if this is the case, why do people still feel alone?
Research shows that people in the United States often feel lonely. They even go so far as to call this a “lonely epidemic.” Since Covid-19, people have been lonelier than ever. Research shows that there are around 58% of people that are considered lonely by the clinical standards of loneliness.
Adults that are linked with mental health issues are more likely to be lonely than those that have a strong mental health. These people normally have health problems such as high blood pressure and even inflammation.
Connecting with people is something that is important for your mental health. Here are some ways that you can deal with being lonely:
Validate Your Feelings
You are allowed to tell other people how you are feeling. If you are feeling lonely, you need to admit this to yourself and you can even talk to others. It can be scary at times to tell people that you are lonely but by talking about it, you can begin to heal.
We sometimes think that being lonely means that you aren’t good enough and this isn’t true. When you deny that you are lonely and you are, it can cause you to never be able to heal and to experience the connectedness that you need to.
Know That You Aren’t the Only One
You aren’t the only person that is lonely. Lonely is something that is happening to people all around the world. Loneliness is an emotion that can be healthy because it shows that you need to connect with other people.
Look at Your Connections
When you feel lonely, you need to look at the people that are around you. Some people forget that there are people that want to be there for them. Maybe your friends are busy or maybe your spouse is busy but there are people that aren’t as busy. Find people that will spend time with you and that can help you to get out and do something.
Embrace Your Feelings
Know what loneliness looks like in your life. You might find that you are missing something if you reflect on what is going on inside of you. Look at the situation and see if it is what is making you feel lonely or is it something that you are feeling all the time? There is a difference.
Find out what you are valuing and what you are feeling. If you begin to feel more lonely than normal, you might need to talk to someone. Try and reconnect with people that you haven’t talked to for a while and create new ways to meet people. Having chronic loneliness is something you need to talk to someone about.
Relax
Take time to slow down in your life and find time to relax. When you are always busy, this can cause you to not be able to meet up with people or to connect. People that are overwhelmed will not get the relaxation they need for their body and their mind. Use self-care, take a bath, listen to some music, and relax.
Have Self-Love
We all could use more self-love. Find a way to get in touch with what you need and give it to yourself. Doing this can make you feel better and help you to feel stronger in who you are. Try to take a few minutes each day to do something that you enjoy doing. This can take your thinking and change it from negative to positive.
Go Outside
Go outside and spend time in nature. This is a way that you can connect with the world around you. You can hug a tree, plant a garden or get into the dirt. This can help you to feel less lonely.
Be Kind
You can be kind to others and you can even volunteer your time to feel better about your life. Once you find something helpful to do, this can increase your feelings of happiness and increase your endorphins. If you are feeling extroverted that day, talk to someone that you are trying to help and make a connection.
Talk to new people and find people that like to do the same things that you like to do. This will give you a bond and help you to connect with like-minded people.
Go Out into the Community
Go out in the community and give your time. Volunteer and focus on other people and things that can help make the world a better place. You can try a religious organization or a shelter. This is a way to connect with others.
Doing charity work can help you to find people that have the same kinds of interests that you have. You will be in a situation where you can get things done and enjoy doing it. Going out of the house and finding something to do that is helpful can help you to feel less isolated.
There are many things in your area that need your volunteer time. Go to a soup kitchen or volunteer at a community event. There are plenty of things you can get involved in.
Connect at a Club
Join a club that you enjoy. This can help you to find people that share the same hobbies that you have. Find an activity that gives you socialization time. You can even try a hobby that you always wanted to try and never have before.
Accept Who You Are
You have to accept all parts of who you are. There are things about you that will be both good and bad and this is okay. Everyone has faults and flaws. You have to learn how to embrace your faults and your flaws and to live your best.
You need to stop trying to be someone besides who you are. Accept all the parts of yourself no matter who you are and where you go. Show your whole self-off when you meet new people and let them see that you are real.
Be Intimate with Yourself
You need to learn to connect with your own body. You can do this by caring about your own self and connecting with yourself physically. Feel safe and loved for by touching your hand on your heart or even go out and get a massage by a massage therapist.
Your body needs to know that you care about who you are. Supporting yourself can help to increase your nervous system and help to reduce stress. Not everyone wants to be touched but putting your own hand on your heart or your stomach can help you to feel physically connected to yourself.
Be Creative
You can express yourself by being creative. Find things that you love to do that are creative such as singing, painting or doing some kind of art. You can even find things to build if that is your thing. As you meet other people that are being creative, you can connect with them through this kind of creative movement.
Get a Pet
Go to a pet adoption center and adopt a pet. If you cannot have a pet, go and see the pets that your family or friends have. Petting an animal can help you to feel loved and calm. You will have more peace if you are responsible for adopting a pet.
Social Media
Look at how much you are on social media and how it makes you feel. You will need to make meaningful connections outside of your electronics. If you feel that you are not connected with others, get off of social media and go out and meet up with them physically. Doing this can help you to detox from your screen time while making stronger bonds.
Spend Time with Friends and Family
Take time to spend more time with friends and family members. You can make intimate relationships and find close friends. This can help you to feel less lonely. Start by texting or calling someone that you haven’t spoken to in a while. This interaction can help you to have more connection. Once you make this small connection, try to set up some kind of coffee date or a lunch date with them.
By staying in touch with people that are in your life, you can share your feelings and decrease your feelings of loneliness. Don’t wait for someone to invite you out all the time but you take the initiative to make the date happen.
Slow Down Drinking
Don’t drink as much alcohol when you are feeling lonely. There are things in your life that you can change so that you can live a better life. Start sleeping better and getting enough sleep, don’t drink alcohol or use drugs when you are feeling low.
Alcohol and drugs can change your feelings and make you feel more lonely. Develop a way to find things to do that don’t involve drinking or drugs.
Go Beyond Your Limits
You can go beyond your limits and this can get you excited and motivated. Motivate yourself so that you can do more things. You have to have balance between work and fun and once you are done with work, find something fun to do so that you can feel healthy and strong.
Talk to Someone
If you find that you cannot get past feelings of isolation, chances are that you might need to talk to a mental health professional. This can help you to figure out where your feelings are coming from and it can help you to know what kinds of action you need to take to feel better.
Final Thoughts
These are things that you can do so that you don’t feel as lonely. These might not always be things that you can make happen but if you just try to do something different then it can help you when times get hard. Trying all of these things above can give you a chance to combat your loneliness and to make you feel stronger.