Dealing and Coping with Loneliness
Honesty of feelings is the pivotal factor for self-awareness . Emotional Honesty is ones capacity to consciously feel our own true feelings, our true emotions, as we experience them in our body.
everyone experiences loneliness from time to time. The feeling can be especially noticeable around the holidays, Valentine's Day, birthdays, and times of extreme stress.
In a world so big, it can be easy to feel alone. Loneliness can happen to anyone at any time, but even so, blue feelings are never fun. Thankfully, there are ways to cope and deal with loneliness, and they’re probably simpler than you may think. We’ve rounded up the best ways to help you start feeling like yourself again (plus explanations for why you may be lonely). Now, everyone is different, so all of these tricks may not work for you, but it doesn’t hurt to give them a try to see what does!
Practice Self-Care
When you're feeling lonely, be sure you're doing what you can to take care of yourself in other ways.
Practicing self-care is especially important when you’re feeling blue. Help yourself feel better and deal with loneliness by eating nutritious foods, exercising, and getting enough sleep will only make you feel better in the long run. Self-care is always a good idea, but especially when you are feeling down.
And work on your self-awareness - please find more about it here.
Say is as it is / how you feel
Reach out to family or friends and talk it out. Sometimes, all someone / one need is a comforting shoulder to lean on. Talk to a trusted loved one about how you’ve been feeling, or send them a simple “Hey” to get a conversation started.
Talking about your feelings may seem scary, even men feel it that way in our society, but it can help you realize that you’re not alone - and it should not be scary - it is how you feel, what moves you and we all need all too often a shoulder to lean on, someone to give us a hug and to not feel alone and lonely. Try saying something like, “Lately, I’ve been feeling lonely. Have you ever felt this way?” or, “Hey! Want to have a coffee and a cake or grab some ice cream? It sure would cheer me up.”
If you don’t have someone to talk to, try contact a services (I will share with you at the end of this article) for anonymous support. And YES you can and should contact whem.
Get involved in your community
Think about and consider activities to meet new people. I firmly believe - one of the best things you can do for yourself when you feel lonely is to put yourself out there. Join a sports fan club, or even a sports team, take a cooking or exercise class, or volunteer at the local food bank. You’ll be socializing and having fun—it’s the best of both worlds - believe me. Think about activities that interest you to find people with similar passions or hobbies. Show an interest in what you’re doing and the people around you—don’t be afraid to approach someone first - start something new or reactivate something - or reconnect with activities you did in the past!
Online communities are as well just one click away
Join an online community to find like-minded people. Sometimes, connecting with people online and virtually can be easier than making friends - even I would always would stress - do it as well - real connections are irreplaceable. But if you’re a little shy or don’t live in a vivid or energetic community, try reaching out to people on social media ( Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ).There are tons of forums, chat rooms and conversations you can join out there to choose from! Follow your interests (sports, TV show, craft, or books ...), and you may make some lasting connections even in real live. Or even it is not at all my world but I know - as part of the multiplayer games - you can join the chat rooms to connect with others, e.g. Minecraft or Fortnite.
And PLEASE - Do not spend too much time on social media, as online communities can quickly turn toxic if they’re all you have - as finally they are virtual - And always be cautious when talking to strangers online. If something doesn’t feel right about their profile, try chatting with someone else.
At the beginning of my article I mentioned honesty
As I said / wrote before - it is important to be honest to oneself and improve and build self-awarness -and as one or two have issues being honest to themself - I suggest to start a journal to track your thoughts and feelings.
Writing is a great way to let out your emotions and understand why you’re lonely. Try dedicating at least one quarter of an hour a day to writing in your journal. Your entries don’t have to be long or about anything in particular—just note down or annotate whatever comes to your mind! Here are some prompts to get you started:
- “I feel lonely when….”
- “I feel lonely because….”
- “Today, I….”
Finally I like to stress ...
In addition that loneliness can be or is most often emotionally painful, loneliness can impact people in many ways.
Depression: A number of studies found several of associations between loneliness and depressive symptoms. I think it is no surprise that there is a close connection of loneliness and depression and that both may feed and perpetuate each other.
Physical health: Several studies have linked emotional stress with depressed immunity. Other research links loneliness and depression with poorer health and well-being. Therefore, people who are experiencing loneliness are susceptible to a variety of health issues.
Physical pain: Research shows that the areas of the brain that deal with social exclusion are the same areas that process physical pain, adding a scientific explanation to the oft-romanticized experience of a "broken heart" - and it is no surprise that people who are experiencing loneliness suffer pain like headache, back and neck pain.
Final thought
And please don't get me wrong 'Being-for-yourself' or being solitude is different to loneliness - Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine. Distract yourself from those feelings of loneliness and make a date with yourself and / or do what I suggested before.
And other articles about loneliness you can find here.
And a song which helps me in moments of loneliness:
Mental Health America
Mental Health America (MHA)'s work is driven by its commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services for all; early identification and intervention for those at risk; integrated care, services, and supports for those who need them; with recovery as the goal.
Links and Contacts in Germany:
Über 60 Jahre alt? ... und niemand da zum Reden? Silbernetz verbindet.
Kostenlos. Anonym. Täglich von 08:00 - 22:00Uhr. 0800 4 70 80 90
Kinder und Jugendtelefon
Die Telefonhotline vom Kinder und Jugendtelefon ist besonders geeignet für Jugendliche, Eltern und Kinder.
Telefon: 0800 – 1 11 03 33 (Montags - Samstags von 14:00 - 20:00 Uhr / kostenfrei & anonym)
Telefonseelsorge - Hotline und Chat
Die Mitarbeiter sind speziell geschult und sind rund um die Uhr erreichbar - nicht scheuen da mal anzurufen.
Hotline:
0800 - 111 0 111 (24 Stunden / kostenfrei & anonym)
0800 - 111 0 222 (24 Stunden / kostenfrei & anonym)
Chat https://chat.telefonseelsorge.org
Rettungsdienste und die Polizei
In allen Notfällen hilft auch die Polizei sowie die Rettungsdienste. Sie werden automatisch mit der nächsten Dienstelle in Ihrer Nähe verbunden. Bei Gefahr im Verzug sollte einer dieser Nummern gewählt werden:
Notruf: 110 für die Polizei oder 112 Rettungsdienst - Der Ärztliche Bereitschaftsdienst ist bundesweit unter der einheitlichen Rufnummer 116117 zu erreichen und zwar 24 Stunden und 7 Tage die Woche.
Liste der Giftnotrufzentralen und Giftinformationszentren in Deutschland, Österreich und Schweiz
comments and replies are welcome - even I will not publish any of them but if possible I will read and perhaps reply as well - best
ReplyDelete