A Girls Guide to Overcoming Feelings of Loneliness
Loneliness can sometimes feel all-consuming and incredibly difficult to endure. And studies show that women experience feelings of loneliness more than their male counterparts. While in the midst of feeling isolated, it may seem impossible, but there are there are things you can do to alleviate negative feelings. In fact, you may even find yourself embracing and making friends with your loneliness.
The next time you find yourself yearning for companionship, consider some of the following approaches to connecting with others and becoming comfortable with spending time with yourself.
Avoid Isolating Yourself
It’s common to isolate yourself when you are feeling sad. When you are feeling lonely, it’s one of the worst things you can do. When you hide yourself away from others while in the midst of a depression caused by feelings of alienation, a vicious cycle begins, and one that is difficult to escape from. Getting yourself out of your front door is the first step to feeling reconnected to others. You don’t have to jump into packed social situations. Start by going on walks through your neighborhood or a nearby park. Head to a coffee shop and enjoy a cup surrounded by your peers. If you are feeling brave, say hi to neighbors and strangers as you pass them. You might even find you enjoy your own company more than you expected.
Become a Joiner
If you don’t consider yourself a joiner, now’s the time to give it a try. Join a social group or start one of your own. Create or join a book club. Check out your local Meetup groups. There are hiking groups, cooking groups and sports group in almost every community waiting for new members to show up. Get yourself out there and be active in social circles, even when you feel like you don’t want to.
Take Up New Hobbies That Allow You to Meet New People
One great way to make new friends is to take up new hobbies. Many people meet their closest friends through hobbies and shared interests. You know that when you meet people through a hobby, you’ll immediately have a shared interest. That means the foundation for a new friendship is already there. And at the very least, it allows you to connect with some new people.
Stay Busy
When you give yourself time to focus on feelings of loneliness, it is likely to increase your negative feelings. Focusing on those negative thoughts will perpetuate them, so finding ways to keep busy and occupy your time with activities that bring you joy–like hiking–is important. If you find yourself facing large chunks of time with nothing to do, consider volunteering for a local non-profit or at the humane society. Doing good, feels good.
Reach Out & Connect
When you feel lonely, the best thing you can possibly do is reach out and connect with others. Send your loved ones texts. Call your parents and siblings. Use apps to connect with your girlfriends. There are even new innovative ways to date. Consider using services like those at www.callfreechatlines.com which give you the chance to communicate with other singles more. Whatever you do, don’t withdraw from others. Reach out and connect.
Focus on Loving Yourself
A girls is her own best friend. When you’re trying to socialize and meet new people, there will be moments when you struggle and things don’t go your way. These things happen and you shouldn’t let them make you feel even worse about yourself. Being too harsh on yourself will lead to more problems than solutions, so try to be positive and learn lessons from the mistakes you make along the way.
Loneliness can feel inescapable, but you should always remember that you’re not alone, even when it feels like you are. There are ways of breaking the negative and lonely cycle you currently feel trapped in. You can start moving in the right direction by using the tips and ideas above.
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