loneliness

[Amino]

loneliness

12 Things to Do When You're Feeling Lonely, According to Experts

If you're feeling isolated, know there are many ways to reclaim connection.


You could say this world is more connected than it's ever been.

Friends, family, and strangers who live miles apart can communicate instantly thanks to social media and email. Anyone can hop on a plane from New York City and reach Los Angeles in just hours. In large metropolitan melting pots across the globe, thousands of people from different countries and cultures mingle and break bread. It's as if time and space is collapsing, bringing all sorts of people closer to one another.

Yet so many of us feel lonely and can't seem to shake it.

Researchers claim that the U.S. is experiencing a "loneliness epidemic." In a 2018 survey, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), experts discovered that*about 22% of Americans say they constantly feel alone. Such prolonged feelings of isolation can come with serious health problems, both mental and physical. Feelings of isolation are often associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Doctors*have also found*that people who are lonely tend to have increased blood pressure, weaker immune systems, and more inflammation throughout the body.

Turns out, connectedness not only makes our lives more interesting, it's vital for our own survival.

So what should you do when you're feeling blue without anyone to lean on? Here's what therapists, doctors, and researches say are some of the*best strategies to cope with loneliness:

1. Name it. Validate it.

Telling other people you're lonely can feel scary, shameful, and self-defeating. But expressing that feeling can be the beginning of releasing it.

"We tend to stigmatize loneliness in the U.S., equating it with being a loner or a loser," says Kory Floyd, Professor of Communication and Psychology at the University of Arizona. "That stigma encourages us to avoid admitting when we're lonely. Denying our loneliness only perpetuates it, so before we can recover, we have to be honest — at least with ourselves — about what we are experiencing."

2. Take stock of connections you already have.

Sometimes when we are feeling lonely, we can't see what's right in front of us.

"Many of us get tunnel vision when it comes to affection and intimacy, in that we 'count' only certain behaviors while discounting others," says Professor Floyd. "I might notice that my friends don't tell me they love me, or don't 'like' my social media posts, but I overlook the fact that they always volunteer to help when I have a home project to do. When people expand their definitions of affection and love to include a wider range of behaviors, they often discover that they aren't as deprived as they originally thought."

3. Recognize you are not alone (in feeling lonely).

If 22% of Americans constantly feel lonely, know that if you're feeling isolated that you're sharing the same experience with millions of other people.

"[When I'm lonely] I remind myself just how pervasive loneliness is and I imagine being connected to 'all of the lonely people out there'. Sometimes I listen to Eleanor Rigby [by the Beatles] to hammer that point home," says Megan Bruneau, therapist and executive coach. "Loneliness is a healthy emotion, revealing places we yearn for connection."

4. Get curious. Ask questions.

Recognize that loneliness looks different for people at different times of their lives, and that there are those who have many relationships, but still feel like something is missing. Ask yourself what loneliness looks like for you.

It's important to differentiate between situational loneliness and chronic loneliness," says Bruneau. "Most people feel lonely from time to time, especially in today's individualistic, independence-valuing, more-single-than-ever-culture. However, if I'm feeling loneliness more frequently than usual, I get curious about the shift. Has something changed in my relationships leading me to feel more disconnected? Have I been nurturing my current connections and creating opportunities for new ones that make me feel 'seen'? Am I intentionally or accidentally isolating [myself]?"

Whether our loneliness is brief or chronic, questions like these can help direct us to the best way to cope, she suggests.

5. Take the time to slow down.

If you're frequently busy, running around with your to-do list or feel stressed by all the meetings at work, it might be time to hit the breaks.

"Sometimes when people's schedules are back-to-back for too long, they start disconnecting from themselves and other people," says Judith Orloff MD, psychiatrist and author of*Thriving as an Empath. "They get overwhelmed from overworking and too much stimulation. So the practice [then] is just to relax and do what their body needs."

Perhaps that relaxing for you could mean listening to music,*taking a bath, or just sitting with nothing to do and nowhere to be

6. Reconnect with self-love and appreciation.

You can use alone time to get back in touch with you.

"You have to be your own best friend," says Dr. Orloff. "I go to my sacred space and I*meditate. I take a few deep breaths, relax, and ask worry, fear, and loneliness to lift so I can just be with myself."

She recommends that those who are new to meditation can try to sit for three minutes and focus on something they find pleasing — like the ocean or dolphins — or any simple things they are grateful for. "Focusing on what you're grateful for rather than what you don't have shifts the negative thinking," she says.

Being alone and strolling through nature can be meditative, too.

7. Perform anonymous acts of kindness.

And recognize the kindness in others.

Sometimes when you feel alone, you might feel like isolating yourself from the world, which only continues the cycle of loneliness. In that case, finding a group of friends to hang out with or dropping into a large social scene can feel like a lot. So why not consider starting small?

Go out into the world and notice a smile from the store clerk," says Dr. Orloff. "Hold a door for somebody or do something nice for a stranger and then you start to get the endorphins and the oxytocin going in your body. Oxytocin is the bonding hormone. It's what mother's have when they give birth. So oxytocin is important."

If you are feeling a bit more extroverted, you might even try starting conversations.

"Get out every day and have a conversation, face-to-face, with your neighbor, a friend, your grocer, the librarian — in short, any one whom you might meet regularly," says Susan Pinker, psychologist and author of*The Village Effect. This doesn’t have to be a close relationship. Research tells us that even weak bonds strengthen our immunity and well-being."

8. Join a club.

Perhaps you are looking to develop more of those deep meaningful relationships. In that case, you might want to explore hobbies with other people to form bonds over common interests.

"This could be a class, a committee, or a volunteer group," says Pinker. "Any activity that puts you in a social environment on a regular basis."

Vibe with someone over your love for pottery at a local art class. Find a Meetup group of people who are just as obsessed with*Game of Thrones*as you are. Or maybe try something completely new, like goat yoga. You can have fun with this.

9. Put your hand over your heart.

Lack of physical connection can be the cause of loneliness. When we were babies,*our bodies were trained to respond to physical touch*as a form of communication and connection with our caregivers — especially when "goo goo gaga" didn't quite cut it.

So, even if you don't consider yourself a touchy-feely person,*physical contact has always been at the center*of feeling safe, secure, and cared for. But know that you don't need a lover, a friend, or a massage therapist to give you a reassuring caress. Placing your hand over your heart could do it.

"Our bodies registers the care we give ourselves in a similar way that it registers the care we get from others through physical touch," says Dr. Kristin Neff, associate professor at the University of Texas and author of*Self-Compassion. "'Supportive' touch works with the person's parasympathetic nervous system, which actually helps calm us down and reduces cortisol and releases oxytocin."

Everyone, however, is different, Dr. Neff says. Some people prefer a hand on the stomach. Others prefer holding their face. Some love hugging themselves. If you're by your lonesome, this could be a chance to figure out how to be your own buddy.

10. Create something.

Sketch. Paint. Knit. Anything to get your creative juices flowing.

Creative arts have an extraordinary capacity to elevate and transcend our negative emotional experiences through self-expression, as well as to connect us more deeply and authentically with each other," says Dr. Jeremy Nobel, MPH and the founder of*The UnLonely Project.

One of Dr. Nobel's*favorite strategies*is expressive writing. Jotting down thoughts and feelings you recognize others may be experiencing has a similar affect as, say, going to the movies. At the theatre you share a room with a group of people — perhaps strangers — who are all witnessing the same journey with you. Even if you don't talk to anyone, you and the entire audience are connected through shared experience, Dr. Nobel explains. Mentally, the same thing happens when you write, even if you never share it with a soul. Although, sharing could be a healthy way to find connection among others.

11. Check your social media usage.

While the jury is still out on*whether or not*the rise of social media is driving loneliness and depression, it doesn't hurt to reevaluate the effect it has on your life.

Are you using it to make meaningful connections? Are you spending too much time on it? Is it causing you to withdraw in unhelpful ways?

"If we feel dissatisfied with our face-to-face relationships, we [often] retreat into the world of social media, which only exacerbates the problem," says Professor Floyd of the University of Arizona. "On social media, it seems as though everyone else has better jobs, better houses, better vacations, and better relationships than we do. That isn't actually true, of course."

If Instagram and Facebook are dragging you down, it might be time for a temporary screen detox.

12. Work with a mental health professional

Sometimes we need professional help to escape the dark thoughts keeping us in isolation.

"One of the most destructive effects of long-term loneliness is that it distorts our cognitions about ourselves," says Professor Floyd. "We come to believe that if we are lonely, we deserve to be lonely and that no one will ever love us the way we want. Those thoughts in turn guide our actions in ways that end up keeping us lonely. Cognitive behavioral therapy is designed to bring our thoughts and behavior better in line with reality."

Thanks

[ThatMan]

In my opinion, the best way to not suffer from being lonely is to accept and fully immerse yourself into the experience of being lonely, let the feelings of loneliness take over you, feel them move through your being, see loneliness for what it is, a human experience, nothing less, nothing more.When this would happen, you will understand that you are not truly lonely and when you expect the least, of nowhere, someone will appear in your life.

I know it's hard, but what I am telling you, I am telling you from my own experience.You can not run from loneliness, you can not run from pain, they are always there, waiting for you to embrace them so that you can free from them and through them.

I am a very lonely person and not because I want so, but because I experienced so much pain that I locked in myself into a fortress that no one can break.Slowly I am learning to change.

[Tobi]

When you said this:
"...."[When I'm lonely] I remind myself just how pervasive loneliness is and I imagine being connected to 'all of the lonely people out there'. Sometimes I listen to Eleanor Rigby [by the Beatles] to hammer that point home," says Megan Bruneau, therapist and executive coach."

I was reminded of this, which certainly puts things into perspective:
Ralph McTell "Streets of London"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=DiWomXklfv8

[Miss Hepburn]

What do you think you are learning feeling lonely?
(I could ask the same if someone said they were angry, jealous, prideful all the time, too.)
They are all indicative of a disconnection with (whatever you call It) ---
Your Higher Self, God, Truth, simple detached pure Awareness, your Source, ha, Krishna...makes no difference.
Certainly a disconnect from self love and confidence and enjoyment in the simple things in life
that you don't need to share with a person.

There is a hurricane of love and well-being all around you and in you...
why aren't you allowing yourself to feel that wonderful peace and contentment?

I don't have the answer...core beliefs - past life stuff ?
I would suggest, if you asked me - get to the root of why you feel this feeling ...whatever it is, see, cuz
after loneliness is cured - it could be low self-esteem next, even if you have a partner!
Get your connection to whatever you call the Source of Confidence -I don't care if it's Muhammad.
What I mean is...what is it that is keeping you from joy, just being contented during the day.
(Cuz lemme tellya ---being around people or having a relationship is not a piece of cake!!)


My advice.