🌟 Loneliness Epidemic

Because making real friends take efforts nobody want to make.

Even this community, supposedly encouraging friendships doesn't offer the right environment to do as we can't send private messages to each others...

Because making real friends take effort nobody want to make anymore.

Even this community supposedly encouraging friendships doesn't offer the proper environment to do so as we can't send private messages to each others...

I stay connected by making it a challenge to turn a phrase whenever something bad comes up, like a comedy show

it may be my defense mechanism but everyone is so negative all of the time

unfortunately i’m also facing issues when trying to make new friends (doesn’t matters online or IRL) i don’t know how to beat my loneliness anymore ): some tips about this very appreciated.

To combat my loneliness I listen to podcasts and listen to music with my earphones on. I like Happy place by Dearne Cotton. Hope that helps x

@EmpathysGarden I am lucky to have a few amazing friends who i can contact and go out with. I hang out with the ones who live close to me, and write letters to each other with one who lives out of the hang out distance. Also, my boyfriend and I, despite being long distance, spend a lot of time talking together about different things or playing games.

My tips to combat loneliness (altho i´m not personally keeping all, as i have some environments where i genuinely don´t go to make friends or talk to people, like to the gym. So feel free to mix and match the points to your liking):
- focus your energy on a few people, instead of trying to be friends with everyone. A few good friends is better then a million of acquaintances
- opt for a diverse experience of contact. Hang out, write letters, make a phone call, play games, watch a movie through sharing your screen...
- volunteer or get a part time job in a busy, high contact environment like a store. The amount of contact you can get this way is huge. And also, it is not that deep contact, so works good for more emotionally distant people who still want to be around others and share some kind of connection without things getting personal or draining all your emotional energy. The positive energy you get from high contact jobs is a game changer, BUT. Choose a thing that is more service oriented then a grocery store, where you get more opportunity to help someone out. In fact pretty much anything but a grocery store goes. Anyway, onto the next tip
- put your phone down. Seriously. I know your hand is itching when you are alone, but no. Take a breath. Look around. And allow yourself to feel some discomfort and soon you will see, you are enjoying your experiences way more, and get a lot more opportunities that you won´t miss because looking at the phone
- go to a place where you meet likeminded people. May it be a library, a creative course or the gym, a lot of friendships can come out of it
- if you are at work or school, network. Try to get to know new people. Especially at work events or school actions
- become a regular in a place of your choice. Can be gym, church, coffee shop, a small store
- don´t be afraid to try new things, alone. Go to that place where you don´t know anyone
- sounds contraproductive, but learn to be comfortable to be alone. Take steps to learn about yourself, what do you like, explore hobbies, have a selfcare day, work on yourself, learn new things, challange yourself in some way, take long walks lost in your thoughts. Be your own best friend and enjoy your own company. You will be much more comfortable being on your own. And ironically, this will end up attracting other people to you

Hello, I'm very happy that I have a chance to see someone talking about this.

My favourite tip is to always give more than you planned to. If you show extra effort you will feel more pleased with yourself as well as the other person. For example, If you plan to see each other that day, send them message before you meet up saying "Take care on your way to me, I'm waiting patiently".

Sharing some stories helps to connect with other aspects of our lives. Telling them about your childhood accident or what your grandma told you and what you read on the internet. But always make it fit into the conversation or at least similar.

And the last one. Don't be afraid to reach out first and at the unexpected times. Sometimes just to say "I love you" or "have a nice day".

Thank you for reading!

Be Open. And build a support system with accountability that knows your character. Got that from Tim Ross.