Loneliness– we joke about it, we feel it more often than we’d like, and we mostly love to bury it. But let’s face it, if a global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we don’t mind being alone until it gets overwhelming and we eventually experience… loneliness. The great irony is that, we constantly build friendships and connections on social media through video chatting, messaging, calling and basically try anything that makes us feel like a part of something, all while feeling increasingly alone at the same time. 

Here are a few ways to combat feeling lonely:

• Remind yourself that loneliness is only a feeling and is not a fact 

Our brain is designed to pay attention to pain and danger and react accordingly. Loneliness is usually associated with pain. Therefore, the brain tries to make sense of the feeling. By doing this, the brain may confuse the theories of why you’re feeling as such with the facts. So recognize that it’s only a feeling and accept it without causing any different responses. 

• Take the initiative to always show up to social meetings 

We complain about making plans with people, but it turns out, many of us crave social interactions more than we’d like to admit. By showing up, you can show a lot more appreciation for your friends and make them feel as if they’re worth your time. By surrounding yourself with other people, you are more likely to pay attention to your feelings of loneliness and may even be able to enjoy your time with them. At its finest, the expectation of isolation could inspire us to reach out and build friendships, which is the healthiest thing to do if you are lonely and lonely.

• Research for activities that you can do by yourself

Contradictory to the previous point, if you try to cure your loneliness by ONLY surrounding yourself with people, it is a short term solution. As soon as you have to go home, you are lonely again. So, search for more activities you enjoy or would be willing to try when you feel alone: drawing, knitting, puzzles, poetry, etc. The main objective is to distract from the painful loneliness healthily. Alternatively, you could also spend some time and take yourself on a date whether this is to dinner, the park, the cinema, or any place you’ve wanted to go to. 

• Take a social media break. 

Social media can help people connect, but it can also make people feel isolated and cause people to suffer from FOMO or Fear of Missing Out. Looking at other people’s posts and stories about their night out while you had no plans the entire week is not healthy for your mind and is why social media can be detrimental to your mental health. Hence why, remember that if your social media makes you feel more disconnected than connected, you’re not alone. Try removing your phone apps and giving yourself a break.