Advice / words of wisdom for keeping spirits high while doing most things alone?
I'm acknowledging my loneliness now for the first time and I've realised only I can change this. I'm willing to start getting out there and doing things but the same problems are bothering me. I feel uncomfortable on my own and I find it hard to enjoy doing things with no one to share it with. How do other lonely people stay positive in these situations?
@Nairhair95
Great question! As a person who has no "real life" friends, I can definitely relate to loneliness. The one piece of advice I would give to someone that is lonely is start to form a friendship with yourself. You know the expression, "you are your own best friend"? Plan out fun activities as you would if you were hanging out with a friend. Wine and dine yourself at least a couple of days a week! At first it'll feel weird making plans for yourself, but if you give the extra effort, you'll find that being by yourself can be fun.
@Nairhair95
Everyone's different. Some people feel validated when they belong to a group and have a sense of community. My mom went through a bitter divorce and turned to co-workers, friends, and church to fill the vacancy left by the ending of her marriage. She maintains a very active social life, volunteering, and doing regular group activities. But for other people, having a small group of really good friends, maybe just one or two, is enough to push through the loneliness. I tend more towards the latter category, preferring to be closest to just two good friends and spending time with them.
To answer your question, talk about how you feel and what's going on with you, there's people here on 7cups who are happy to listen. You won't feel so lonely when you realize people care about you, even complete strangers who have never met you before. Whatever you're going through, there's a whole community here to support you. Hope this helps!
What the caterpiller calls the end of the world, master calls a butterfly.