Hello everyone. Today, I'm going to be talking about my recent experience and how I was able to overcome it; Loneliness.
I'm sure we are very familiar with the term and most of us, if not all of us have experience what loneliness is at some point in our lives. In my journey of mental health advocacy, I've realized that I've gotten more self aware and that have helped me a lot especially in the days when I'm "feeling down". Because, I can intentionally have a one on one conversation with my mind and trace the root cause of my feelings, then come up with the appropriate steps to get better and overcome it. Having said that, let's dive in to the topic of the day.
Loneliness is simply that negative feeling you experience because your social needs (i.e the need to connect and interact with people or the world around you are not met). Notice the word "Need" not "want". I used to word "need" because it's more than just usual daily interaction you have with your colleague at work or your neighbor nextdoor.
I started noticing that I felt lonely about two weeks ago. Although I have people around me or should I say "friends" but I still felt isolated from the world. Yes, I'm an introvert and I like to be alone most of the time but this was different. Loneliness and "being Alone" are two different universe in this multiverse of our Feelings...lol. As an introvert, I can tell you that being alone helps me recharge so I can be lively. Being alone doesn't give me a "negative feeling". Instead, I'm happy, I'm refreshed, I can put my thoughts together and plan properly for what is next. Unlike Loneliness when all you feel is deep void of isolation like you're trapped in space and all you can do is see earth from a distance. You can have people all around you yet feel lonely.
Loneliness don't just come out of the blues. There are always things that obviously or subtly leads one into feeling lonely. For me, it was because I recently relocated to a new environment. So I was basically indoors all the time as I had no where or no one to visit. Thankfully we're in a digital age where with just one click on your phone, you can see your friend on a video call. But, in my opinion, nothing beats a face to face physical interaction. So yeah that was my own cause of loneliness. For others it could be; - Ending a relationship, or
- Working from home (which have increased since the pandemic), and a lot more.
Obviously there were signs I observed in myself that made me to be able to tell that I was feeling lonely. Like I said earlier, I have a pretty good level of self awareness. I started noticing that;
- I get anxious easily.
- I was having difficulty sleeping
- I spent most of my time watching movies. With my recently found interest for anime; this particular sign was the most obvious.
- I won't forget to mention the self doubt and feeling of worthlessness that crept in.
Of course, there are other signs but this was it for me and I know that those who have experience Loneliness can attest to two or three of these signs.
The good news is, as I write this article, I longer have that lonely feeling or let me say I've been able to overcome that feeling to a very large extension ( 8 on a scale of 10). How did I do that?
Exercise: Yup, I started a morning routine of jogging. That way I got to familiarize myself with my new environment and also keep my body fit.
Writing: Well for others, it might not be writing, it can be another hobby. The point is I started engaging myself with something that I've not done in a long time. I'm also looking at trying out new hobbies but the key here is to take the adventure one at a time.
Joining a community: I'm a Christian so what I did was to look for a nearby church and started fellowshipping with them. That way, I can start building connection. Not just connection with anyone but with people who have the same belief systems and lifestyle. For others it might not be a church, it could be a volunteer group or something like that. The point is to go out and engage yourself with something that resonate with you. Something that makes you feel satisfied.
So yeah, That's how I was able to get through loneliness. I hope this article blesses someone and he or she can learn a thing or two on how to overcome loneliness. This is a necessary skill to have because, even though Loneliness is not. "Mental Health issue", it can definitely lead to a mental health breakdown especially depression.
Thank you for reading. I look forward to reading your input in the comment section.