Let me tell you a thing about loneliness,
You can feel lonely when you are alone and ironically you can also feel lonely when you’re surrounded by a room full of people. The quantity of people doesn’t matter just the inner feeling of misery overpowering everything else does.
One thing is for sure. Being lonely is not fun at all.
Loneliness tends to invite its friends – despair and sadness. The perfect blend for making someone miserable. Being alone by choice is fun but being lonely not by choice is sad.
What’s more-
People who tend to face loneliness for a long period may degrade their mental health and it may also negatively impact their immunity.
Research states that the levels of loneliness were found to be highest in the age group of the 20s which means that most young people are lonely.
We the Gen Z and Millennials may be the smartest of the lot but we are also the loneliest of all too. All the tech and the ever-looming presence of social media seems to add more fuel to the fuel. The portrayal of a half-true, full fake watered down happy version of ourselves are seeming to make us feel lonelier, amongst other reasons.
We know this, but we are so afraid to confront our loneliness that often we stay in unhappy relationships or marriages to avoid being lonely. Some stay with abusive partners while others don’t let go of their toxic friends only because they feel they will not be able to live alone.
Some situations in life force us to face those hard times where we are grappled with the scary demon called loneliness.
What to do then?
When even the fanciest gadgets or the shiny goods from the e-commerce store wont help you with your loneliness. Then you might want to take a look at this.
1) Measure up-
You heard it right! The first step is to measure up the levels of your loneliness. You won’t need any sort of tools for this. Focus on the times when you feel the loneliest. Pay attention as to how many times you feel lonely in a day or whether it happens at specific times or places. It will help you give a perspective and help you measure up your loneliness
2) Chalk it up-
There are many reasons for people to feel lonely and it’s not one size fits all. Find out what your reasons are. You can note it somewhere, preferably on a pen and paper as it will make it more real and undeniable. Chalk up all the reasons that you can think of as to why you may be feeling lonely.
3)Think of alternatives-
Social isolation is not our humans cup of tea. Maybe your loneliness is telling you that it’s time to bring some changes or include some more habits in your life. Something which will take you out of your little bubble. Maybe try joining new classes or take up a sport.
4)Don’t live in denial-
That’s the worst thing that one can do. It might work temporarily but you will end up regretting it later. Trying to drown your loneliness by overindulging in a specific area will not help you get rid of your sadness. Instead, it will bounce right back up. Accept that you are lonely and then learn to deal with it by shaking up your routine. Maybe make some new contacts.
5)Taking up a professional help-
There comes a time when you are no longer able to help yourself and the situation seems to go out of hand. Then try taking help from a professional who can better understand and address your loneliness.
Remember that dealing with loneliness may seem scary and fearful but it won’t last forever. Just don’t run away from it.
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