7 tips to go from loneliness to happiness

Everyone feels lonely sometimes, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more difficult than usual to maintain our usual social contacts. Whether you’re confined to your home in lockdown, furloughed from your employment or working from home rather than going into the office, you may be missing the regular contact you previously enjoyed with family, friends and colleagues.

It’s natural to feel isolated and lonely at the moment, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. The thing is to remember that nothing lasts forever and that things will get better. In the meantime, here are some tips to help you cope with confinement. Some ideas will seem more relevant than others; everyone’s different, so find what works best for you.

1. Try new ways of spending time together

When you can’t meet up with family and friends as you usually do, try getting together outside. Spending time in nature lifts the spirits and taking a walk in the park or the countryside is a great way to catch up.

If bad weather rules out meeting outside, there are still plenty of ways to spend time together. Play games such as chess or Scrabble online or enjoy a glass of wine and dinner while chatting with friends. There are numerous social events online you can take part in and virtual clubs and societies to join. Or why not invite the family to a regular quiz night - fun for all ages.

2. Keep in touch

Be more sociable and make contact with others more often. When you’ve established a routine of checking in regularly, it makes it easier to reach out to people when you’re feeling lonely and need someone to talk to.

Use social media, texts or What’s App to message someone with whom you’ve lost contact. If you prefer to chat with a group rather than an individual set up a group chat on What’s App or Zoom.

3. Share your feelings but be wary of comparing yourself with others

When you’re feeling lonely, it can help to tell others how you’re feeling, so be honest and share your emotions. It’s easier to do this if you’ve established a routine of chatting and relaxing with someone you can trust.

When using social media, remember that many people only post about positive aspects of their lives. It might seem as if you’re the only person feeling alone, but this is certainly not the case. You can never be sure what troubles other people might be experiencing. Try to avoid comparing your life to others, and if you find this difficult, it might be a good idea to reduce or stop using social media for a while.

4. Do more of the things that make you happy

Fill your days by doing something you enjoy. Exercising is an excellent way to lift depression, and if the gym’s closed, a run or cycle ride can help you to stop brooding on things. If you prefer to exercise indoors, there’s an array of online classes to suit every taste and level of fitness, from yoga to weight training.

If you enjoy arts and crafts, get creative. When you’re totally absorbed in an activity, you will experience “flow”, a state of mind when time becomes meaningless, and worries and anxieties float away.

Listen to entertaining audiobooks or podcasts, or if you want something more tranquil, try a relaxing mindfulness or meditation app.

5. Learn something new

Make the most of your time at home by learning something new. Many people are taking the opportunity to learn a new language - there are lots of free lessons online for all levels of ability. You can take classes in cooking, gardening, painting, or dressmaking - the options are endless. Or you could improve your DIY skills and learn woodwork or car maintenance.

6. Volunteer to help others

Volunteering to help others is an excellent way to ward off loneliness. Being part of a group of like-minded people is a great way to make new friends and boost self-esteem. If social distancing temporarily rules out group activities, you could volunteer to befriend and phone someone who’s housebound for a chat.

7. Reduce your stress levels

Stress and anxiety can increase feelings of loneliness. In stressful times, Bach flower super mix 5 relieves stress and anxiety, improves sleep and helps you to focus. Caring for a pet has also been shown to reduce stress levels. And if you have a dog, you have a further bonus of daily walks and the opportunity to chat with other pet owners.

References:

https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/i-need-help-with/i-feel-lonely-and-isolated

https://www.priorygroup.com/media-centre/staying-positive-and-motivated-when-you-have-been-furloughed-mental-health-advice-for-employees

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190715114302.htm

Other articles

Are you a procrastinator? Don’t procrastinate and do something about it!

Your list of chores to be done gets longer and longer, and your stress levels get higher, which makes you feel unhappy! Deal with your procrastination today, with these 7 tips

Do We Label Too Fast?

Nowadays, it can sometimes seem almost everyone has a mental health issue or learning disorder. But, are we too quick to label people, or is it that we are more aware of the problems? This article looks at some of the issues surrounding these sensitive questions.

5 Signs of narcissistic perversion

Narcissism is a term we often see these days. But what does it mean? It's used to describe a person who is full of themselves or overly vain. However, it's not really about self-love.

Six things we think will make us happy, but don't!

When you think about things that will make you happy, what are the images that come to mind? Wealth, beauty, a dream house, long holidays, a top of the range car? Happiness is not a constant and how happy we feel depends on the way we choose to live our lives. 

Almost at the end of your tether? What to do

Dawn’s breaking and you’ve barely slept all night. Instead of waking up ready to face the day, you feel as if you’ll never catch up with all the urgent stuff that needs doing. Stressful thoughts circle in your head, and you feel exhausted and burned out. Sounds familiar? You’re not alone!

Find out if you’re (secretly) a perfectionist

Can setting high standards for yourself ever be a problem? For most people, striving for perfection would be considered a positive thing. For example, musicians only reach concert standard after thousands of hours of practice and athletes can't reach peak performance without long hours of training.

What to do when feeling lost in life?

What to do when feeling lost in life? Read some tips about what to do when feeling lost in life or when you don't know what to do with your life here!

Are you sabotaging your own happiness?

Are you sabotaging your own happiness? All too often we sabotage our own happiness and in this article we’re going to look at how you do that.

Letting go: A guide for survivors

Facing the loss of a family member or close friend is probably one of the most difficult challenges that life throws at us. When we've lost a partner, parent, brother or sister, we're likely to experience intense grief.

Quarter-life or midlife crisis: everything you need to know

A midlife crisis is the basis of stereotypes and jokes: the life stage when you suddenly feel tempted to do impulsive, outrageous things such as leave your spouse, buy a flashy motorbike and walk away from your job.