Feeling lonely - Tips

Keep a gratefulness diary.

Gratefulness is like a medicine for body and spirit. Research shows that people that are grateful, are happier in life, more successful, more forgiving and have more energy.

Grateful people are less likely to get a burn-out, depression or fears. Gratefulness is not a quality you are born with, it is something you can develop! You can start even today with a gratefulness diary and you will be surprised by the effect.

Write down every day 5 things you feel grateful for.

Engage in social activities.

Look on the internet for possibilities. There are a lot of activities and things to do.

But you can also check out voluntary work or find a nice hobby, club or society where you can spend time with other people.

Realize the difference between "being lonely" (no family, friends, acquaintances) and "feeling lonely".

> What is the difference?
> Examine the feeling, did you feel like that before?
> Examine the source from which it came.
> What could make you feel less lonely?

Stop looking at Facebook in lonely moments.

It's all very easy to connect on Facebook. Friends and acquaintances share photo's of parties, holidays, nice days out. All the nice aspects of their lives are shared.

The difficult parts are there, but you don't get to see them. This way you get a distorted image of the truth.

And when you don't feel well, that nice image of others doesn't help you. It can create jealousy or make you feel even more lonely. So: don't look at Facebook when you feel lonely!

Loneliness - what can you do about it?
Practical tip, look for a hobby/sport/passion and start doing it to come into contact with new people...

When feeling lonely, if it feels right, try getting curious.

How do I experience loneliness? Is it a sensation? A thought? An emotion? An image?

If someone was here with me right now, would I still feel lonely?

What do I want from connecting with someone else?

Are there times when I haven’t felt lonely? If so, what was different about now and then?

Where do I feel lonely? Is it in a particular physical place in the world e.g., at work? Or is it more general?

Get in touch with a counsellor/therapist to share your findings, and perhaps get curious together.