Loneliness can hit anyone at any time, but especially single men and women experience unique times of loneliness. Being alone can have a lot of benefits, but it can also be somewhat depressing and affect other areas of your life. How you cope with loneliness will determine how you well you are able to cope with all areas of your life.
The most important thing to consider is why you feel lonely. Are you lonely because you do not have many friends? Are you lonely because you are not dating or in a relationship? Are you lonely because you spend all of your time at home or work? Identifying the causes of your loneliness is the first important step in coping with the problem.
Self-Awareness
Being self-aware is an important part of coping with loneliness. Knowing why you feel lonely and understanding how your own habits and proclivities contribute to your loneliness is important. You may not be able to be objective about this on your own. One way to practice self-awareness is to journal whenever you are feeling particularly lonely. Another option is to talk with a therapist that can help you objectionably figure out why you feel the way you do, and what might be changed about it.
Changing Habits
It is possible that your own habits make you feel lonely. If you simply go to work and go home five days a week and spend the other two days a week running errands and doing chores, you have built habits that may be comfortable but will not cure your loneliness.
Loneliness is not just about not having a romantic relationship. Many single people never feel lonely. It is about surrounding yourself with friends and family that can help keep you grounded. It is about socialization, in almost any form. In fact, even people who rarely leave their homes feel less lonely with the advent and popularity of social media.
Changing your habits to allow time for socialization is a big step in coping with your loneliness and keeping it from developing into depression and other severe mental illnesses. Even if you only go out with friends once a month, or make time for a phone conversation once a week, this little bit of intentional socialization will really help you in coping with those times you feel lonely.
Support System
You really should have a support system in place, whether you are feeling lonely or not. Having emotional support is important for literally everyone, and it can make a huge difference. When you are at your loneliness you will be able to turn to your support system for emotional stability.
Your support system can be anyone. It can be an actual support group, either in-person or online. It can be friends and family that are available at the drop of a hat to talk with you and dispel the loneliness. It can even be a therapist that offers assistance and advice to help you get out of your funk and get back into the real world.
Marie Miguel Biography
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.