To stop feeling lonely when you're alone, focus on self-compassion, build comfort in your own company through hobbies and self-care, and gradually step out to find community by joining groups, volunteering, or frequenting public places to meet people with similar interests. You can also create structure by establishing routines, get out in nature, or use journaling and podcasts to feel connected and process your emotions.
Look after yourself
If you want to know what to do when you feel lonely, consider these 5 tips:
If you don't learn to be comfortable with inner disturbance, you'll devote your life to avoiding it.” In other words, when you're losing traction with the road, you've got to turn into a skid, not away from it. I'm therefore suggesting that the cure for loneliness might actually be solitude.
Draw comfort from simple daily pleasures. Take a relaxing bath, read a good book, or watch your favorite Netflix show. Watch what you eat and drink. Self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, or food may offer short-term relief, but over time will only worsen your mood and make the loneliness even harder to bear.
Rather, extant data suggest that loneliness levels tend to peak in young adulthood (defined here as < 30 years) and then diminish through middle adulthood (30 – 65 years) and early old age (65 – 80 years) before gradually increasing such that loneliness levels do not reach and surpass young adult levels until oldest ...
When you feel you have no one, you can talk to 24/7 crisis hotlines (like 988 in the US), therapists/counselors, online communities/forums, support groups, or even journal your feelings to process them, offering immediate or long-term support options for difficult times,.
Loneliness “can have serious mental and physical complications that worsen if ignored.” She added that, “social isolation and loneliness lead to higher risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression, memory issues and even death.”
Ephesians 4:11-13
With God beside us and His Spirit to guide us we can navigate the waters of loneliness and come into the rest and peace that comes from giving up all efforts to satisfy my human desires and giving myself entirely over to God.
Engage in hobbies: Pursuing activities you enjoy can be a great distraction from loneliness. Whether it's painting, reading, gardening, or playing a musical instrument, losing yourself in a hobby can bring a sense of fulfillment and happiness.
Older women are far more likely than older men to live alone (31% vs. 19%), as are adults ages 85 and older compared with those ages 65 to 84 (38% vs. 24%). When it comes to race and ethnicity, older Black adults (32%) are more likely than those who are White (27%), Hispanic (19%) or Asian (14%) to live alone.
Text CONNECT to 741741 for free, confidential support from a trained volunteer Crisis Counselor, available 24/7. Feeling lonely is more common than you might think. When loneliness persists, it can have a serious impact on your mental health.
As with any type of social problem, having no friends may be an unpleasant, discouraging state to be in, and could be a sign you have some weak spots you need to work on, but it doesn't mean you're fundamentally broken. Lots of people have had periods in their lives where they had no one to hang out with.
The "7-year friend rule" suggests that friendships lasting over seven years are highly likely to become lifelong bonds, as they've survived major life changes and built strong trust, while research indicates people often lose about half their social network every seven years due to evolving life contexts like school or work, replacing old friends with new ones that fit their current environment.
Loneliness is usually considered to be the psychological manifestation of social isolation, a reflection of the dissatisfaction the individual experiences regarding the frequency and closeness of his or her social contacts or the discrepancy between the relationships they have and the relationships they would like to ...
While the latest estimates suggest that loneliness is most common among adolescents and younger people, people of all ages experience loneliness – including older people, with around 11.8% experiencing loneliness.
There's no single "hardest" mental illness, but Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Schizophrenia, and severe/treatment-resistant conditions like depression or bipolar disorder are frequently cited due to extreme emotional volatility, distorted reality, profound functional impairment, and significant impact on relationships and daily life, making them incredibly challenging to live with and manage. The difficulty often stems from intense internal pain, difficulty regulating emotions, social isolation, and the pervasive nature of symptoms.
For example, chronic loneliness can drive up cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that your body creates when under stress. Over time, higher cortisol levels can lead to high blood pressure, excess weight gain, muscle weakness, problems concentrating, and more.
Try sharing how you feel with someone you trust. It could be a friend, a family member, a colleague or your GP. Being open and honest can help connect you to others. If you don't feel like there is anyone you can talk to, our volunteers are here to listen.
The 11-3-6 rule of friendship is a theory suggesting it takes about 11 encounters, each around 3 hours long, over roughly 6 months, to transform an acquaintance into a real friend, emphasizing consistent, quality time and different settings for deeper connection. This rule highlights that strong friendships aren't accidental but require sustained effort and shared experiences to build familiarity and understanding.
Here are some common signs of loneliness to look out for:
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The rule is simple: Commit to doing the task for just five minutes. That's it. Once you get over the initial resistance and begin, even if only briefly, something shifts. Momentum builds, anxiety decreases, and your brain transitions from avoidance to engagement.
What is the 54321 method? The 54321 (or 5-4-3-2-1) method is a grounding exercise designed to manage acute stress and reduce anxiety. It involves identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.