4 Things You Can Do Today to Feel Less Alone
Approach your loneliness with love.
Choose to be honest with yourself about everything you’re feeling.
We live in a moving, loud, and social world. Yet it’s possible to feel completely alone at the same time. Being surrounded by busy people and busy places doesn’t mean we feel seen or understood. Loneliness is a normal part of the human experience, in small doses— although that doesn’t mean we should accept loneliness as our normal.
How do we feel less alone? By understanding that we matter. We matter so much, in fact, that everything we do has worth. Even the smallest of things.
Understanding our worth and giving ourselves the self-love we deserve takes away the power loneliness has over our lives.
Choosing to love yourself more is the most radical thing a person can do. Here are 4 things you can do today to feel less alone.
1. Open yourself up to new connections.
They don’t have to be a friend. They don’t even have to be an acquaintance. Smile at the grocery clerk. Say hi to your neighbor. Choose to welcome human connection in any form it presents itself to you. Love is always worthy and meaningful, no matter how small it may seem. Little interactions will carry you throughout your day. Connection is the opposite of loneliness.
2. Reprogram the ways in which you think about yourself.
Are you hyper focused on your flaws? Does your mind love to amplify the negative? It’s easy to get lost in your head. Imagine if your life was not your life. Build a window and become the stranger that peers through it. What would you observe? You’d see a beautiful soul with unlimited potential, kindness, and a good heart. Adjust your lens. Feeling lonely isn’t all that you are. You haven’t been seeing yourself clearly.
3. Talk about your emotions. Give your pain a name.
It’s okay to feel your emotions, both the good and the bad. Acknowledge them. Learn to bring what you’re feeling to the surface instead of bottling everything up. Talking about your pain takes away its power. Choose to be honest with yourself about everything you’re feeling. Give your emotions the care and the acknowledgement they deserve. This is a form of self-love.
4. Write down the things you like about yourself.
Some days a million things will come to mind. And on other days, zero. That’s okay. Choose honest reflection. Make a list of the things you like about yourself. Write them down and feel gratitude. What do you love about yourself? What parts of yourself do you treasure most? Pull out this list when you’re feeling weak. Enjoying your own company is an attribute of self-love. You don’t know how beautiful you are.
