How To Overcome Loneliness: 5 Keys To Breaking Isolation
In an increasingly interconnected world, it may seem strange that there are still people who feel alone, but this is the reality. New technologies have made us exchange words more frequently, but the impact they have had on the quality of the emotional bonds that unite people has not been unequivocally positive.
Taking into account that in the face of isolation there are no magic solutions that can solve the problem overnight… how to overcome loneliness?
Below we will review some guidelines that are useful to solve the problem of emotional isolation typical of people who feel lonely.
1. Ask yourself what you want
It is true that isolation can be very harmful, but it is also true that each person is different and the definition of what it means to be alone varies depending on who you ask. It is a fact that there are many people who love solitude, and there is nothing wrong with that.
However, in countries with Western culture, extraversion is highly valued, and introversion and the tendency to want to be alone have a worse image. That can cause some people to consider a problem that doesn’t exist: Why don’t I enjoy spending more time in the company of others? What’s my problem?
The truth is that in the beginning, loneliness is only harmful when it generates clear suffering caused by the scarcity of moments in which you connect emotionally with others. This is also what explains why very popular people with a busy social life can feel an emptiness inside when they feel that these interactions mean nothing or are not based on honesty.
Therefore, the first step to knowing how to overcome loneliness is to be clear if there really is something that needs to be overcome.
2. Reconcile yourself with your habits and tastes
There are people who, although they may not realize it, feel alone because in part they decide to exclude themselves from social life. This usually occurs in cases of people who believe themselves to be too unique and who think of others as if they formed a single homogeneous category: “the others” on the one hand, and “I” on the other.
But there are too many people in the world to reduce them all to a single stereotyped concept. That is why if the problem is in tastes, mentalities and hobbies, nothing should prevent us go to where the people are who have all that in common with us
Although the Internet alone does not guarantee that we will overcome loneliness, it offers us a lot of options to contact all kinds of groups and people with similar characteristics. Going to forums and other types of online communities where you can meet up is a great way to participate in stimulating conversations and, from there, create new friendships.
Overcoming loneliness is not an easy task, and that is why it is worth not rejecting any help available. After all, one of the first steps when solving any psychological problem is to get rid of artificial problems, and the obsession with achieving everything for yourself It is as irrational as it is unconstructive.
In this case, furthermore, we have the advantage that the fact of seek support from family and friends It helps break that feeling of loneliness. Talking about how we feel is an activity that can be therapeutic and, on the other hand, brings us closer to possible solutions to which we did not have access before.
4. Force yourself to attend social events
If you are thinking about ways to overcome loneliness, You may be experiencing some depressive symptoms due to isolation what do you feel. In this emotional state our level of energy and ease of taking initiative drops, and that is why it is difficult to move and get involved in stimulating tasks.
That is why, even if you don’t feel like it, one of the great resources to use to break loneliness is to force yourself to attend social events and, once there, maintain a proactive attitude. In this way, the opportunity will appear to begin to associate this type of activities with fun, interesting conversations, the possibility of winning friends, etc.
Of course, in the event that you believe that your depressive symptoms are too intense, or in the event that you have already been diagnosed with some form of depression, you should keep in mind that trying to follow this guideline will be totally counterproductive, since you will probably not be able to follow it and you will become even more frustrated. In cases like this, it is the disorder, and not loneliness, that is the main problem.
5. Train yourself in techniques to develop assertiveness
Now that you have broken the first barrier of your comfort zone, it is time to break the one that remains and engage more actively in conversations
To do this, avoid at all costs wondering about the best time to intervene; Just say what you think clearly and with a firm tone of voice. Think that if you don’t do it this way, your personal characteristics, your tastes or your appearance will not matter: people will not pay attention to what you say, because they will notice that even you do not give much importance to your message.
