How to feel less lonely when single

Some people embrace being single and others detest it. Many spend years looking for love and feel overwhelmingly lonely when single. Feeling lonely is never a nice feeling and if it’s not addressed it could lead to some serious health problems.

“Loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, making it even more dangerous than obesity.” – Douglas Nemecek, MD, chief medical officer for behavioural health, Cigna (source)

That’s crazy, right?

Loneliness isn’t just about being alone or being single. It’s about more than that. Many people are quite content by themselves, but those who feel lonely don’t feel a connection to anyone and are miserable by themselves which can lead to mental and physical health problems if not resolved.

Being in a relationship is one way to feel less lonely, but if you think you are suffering with loneliness then you should take some steps to change your mind-set when you are single to help prevent this feeling and improve your quality of life.

Learn to love yourself

The first thing to do is to learn to love yourself and to love being with yourself. You are awesome! Remember that. Appreciate yourself and learn to enjoy spending quality time with yourself. You don’t always need to have company to have a great time. Learn to have a great time with yourself and embrace ‘me-time’.

Find what makes you happy

Being on your own and doing nothing is going to feel incredibly boring and incredibly lonely. The time will drag and you’ll think about how lonely you are. Don’t do this! You need to find what makes you happy. If you don’t have a hobby then it’s time to find one. If you find a passion and love for doing something, then you’ll never feel bored or lonely again. You’ll always have something to do that makes you happy. It could be as simple as reading, writing, art or music. Keeping busy will leave no time to feel lonely.

Be social

Once you’ve learnt to appreciate your own self and own company, found what makes you happy, then it’s time to be social. If you feel lonely then the best way to overcome this is to be more social and interact with others. If you don’t have many friends then let your newfound hobby help you. If you like reading, join a local book club. If it’s art then find an art class. Even if you like a lot of time to yourself, just being around others once a week can give you something to look forward to and will stop any feelings of isolation.

Start dating

Hopefully you’ve now learnt to enjoy being by yourself and have a hobby so you don’t purely need a relationship to feel less lonely and happy. But now you’ve taken these steps and are content with your own self, it could be time to look for love! Lots of people find love nowadays with online dating. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune either if you sign up to a free dating website such as We Love Dates. As they say on their website “There is nothing in the world like starting a new relationship and falling in love.” If you’re feeling lonely and want to look for love then sign up today and have some fun dating. You never know who you might meet and all those dates will definitely stop you from feeling lonely!

Volunteer

If you are feeling lonely and seem to have a lot of time by yourself, then why not use this time wisely? You could volunteer at a local charity shop, for example, which will help you to make new friends, meet new people and interact with the public. You’ll also be giving something back which will make you feel good and help others at the same time. Many charities are grateful for the extra help and it’s the perfect way to help keep your own mental health in check too.

Consider a pet

Whilst a pet isn’t a cure for human interaction, it could help to keep you busy and prevent feeling so lonely. If you have enough time, patience and money then a pet could make a great companion. If you’re a dog lover then it’s also a fantastic way to increase your exercise levels and to meet other dog lovers when out walking.

Talk to someone

If you still feel lonely even when you are in a relationship or interacting with others regularly, then it is good to seek professional advice. A mental health therapist will be able to get to the root of your emotions so you can work through them and prevent the loneliness from developing into a serious health concern. If your feelings of loneliness feel like more than something you can sort by yourself and are consuming you then don’t wait and get outside help.

If you’re feeling single and lonely then there are lots of ways you can keep yourself busy and find something you are passionate about to prevent feelings of loneliness. If it’s more than something you can solve yourself then do make sure you talk to someone.