Loneliness is not a good feeling. It seems that it spreads too. Once you realize how alone you are, or at least how alone you feel, you look around to see happiness in pairs. The groups of people who have found each other seem to be rubbing it in your face that you aren’t included. Don’t let them get to you! Instead, get out and be active to combat your loneliness! Here’s 9 ways to beat the loneliness bug before it hits you:
1. Bookstores are a great place to find happiness.
There is usually a café and sometimes even some comfortable furniture to cozy up on. You have two choices when perusing at a bookstore; get lost in a new adventure in a story or strike a conversation with a fellow browser. The latter option may not lead to a lifelong friend but there is a chance! Haven’t you seen You’ve Got Mail?
2. Get a part-time job in retail.
Retail can totally take you out of that lonely funk! There will be coworkers to talk to and customers to greet. You will meet customers from here, there, and everywhere that have fun stories. Your coworkers will be used to making small talk, as that is such a big part of the service industry, that you will be able to get to know some very quickly and maybe find a new bff!
3. Test drive the new BFF feature on Bumble.
This app is normally for dating but there is now a BFF option for finding a non-romantic partner. You could find someone that’s also been feeling lonely who you have great compatibility with. They are only a few thumb taps away and could make all your negative feels go down the drain.
4. A walk in the park is another way to cure the blues.
So many dogs that you could pet as passerbyers walk them. This could strike up a conversation with the owner and, similar to the bookstore scenario, maybe you’ll make a new human buddy and furry buddy. Two for the price of one! While you’re getting fresh air and exercise!
5. Exercise is great way to combat any negative feels.
When you work out, your body releases endorphins which is a chemical that makes you feel happy. The act of running or doing a full circuit at the gym usually takes a good chunk of time so you’ll be keeping yourself preoccupied as well as improving your overall physical health.
6. An often overlooked option for entertaining oneself is to play solitaire.
No, not on your phone, but with a real deck of cards. Crazy right? Looking through your phone at social media won’t make you feel better about not having a friend around. Put the phone away for a while and start shuffling your deck of cards mostly reserved for Kings.
7. Calling your family and catching up on the news at home is a way to stay connected with people who know you.
They will appreciate hearing from you and you’ll realize how nice it is when you have an open ear you can be completely honest with.
8. Volunteering at an animal shelter will make you feel so many happy things!
You get to play with them, walk dogs, help feed kittens, or some other really fun things with cute animals! Just like your trip to the park or the time spent at a bookstore, this can get you a new non-human friend or even a new human friend.
-
Take a class.
Anything you have wanted to try but never had the time? Now is the perfect time! You don’t have any engagements taking up your free time so why not pick up a hobby. From yoga to art to language, the world is full of ways to keep your mind engaged while meeting people who have similar interests.
Being along happens to all of us and it’s not so easy to deal with all the time. Keeping your head up and looking for ways to change your situation is the only way it will get better. You don’t need to surround yourself with others, especially if they’re fake, to cure your sadness. Spending some time alone can be good for the soul because you realize what you want or what you’re capable of doing without others holding your hand.
Featured image via Lina Kivaka on Pexels
I have tried several if not many of these suggestions to fight against loneliness. I have even joined writers workshops. Too many damaged or harmful people are in any environment. Even toxic and intrusive neighbors want to know things about you, so that later on they can use your problems against you. Dito.