It is difficult not to have felt alone at some point in our lives, and even more so today. The most common thing is to live focused on our own lives, in automatic mode, without paying so much attention to the people around us. This way it is easy not to realize what is happening to them or how they feel.
In this way, many people go unnoticed, they feel alone, no one notices and it is very difficult for them to ask for help. AND Loneliness, when it is not desired, is a very limiting and exhausting emotion. Human beings are social by nature, so we always crave company and support, and find it difficult to cope with loneliness.
This feeling is generally associated with old age, but it is increasingly common in the young population. This is confirmed by various studies, which indicate that 1 in 4 young Spaniards between 16 and 29 years old feel alone. This figure is worrying, especially because it is a multi-causal problem, making it difficult to prevent.
For this reason, we wanted to make an article in which we give you 5 tips to deal with loneliness during your youth. If you are a young person who feels alone and wants to end this feeling, keep reading.
1. Recognize loneliness
Sometimes it is difficult to realize the problem. We only know that we feel bad, but not why. That’s why we hope that this article helps some young people open their eyes and realize that they suffer from this problem.
Once you are aware, the first thing is to accept it. It can be a difficult thing to accept, no one likes to admit that we feel alone, even despite having people around. However, it is important that you accept the situation and the emotions that this generates in you, because if not, you will never be prepared to start changing your life.
When you recognize your feeling of loneliness, you will be able to consider what is causing it, what is influencing it, and how you can begin to solve it.
2. Learn to get along with yourself
In order to feel good, it is important that you get along with the person you are going to be with the most: yourself. And this becomes even more important if your main problem is feeling alone. To like yourself, you have to know yourself first. That means knowing what you like, what you are like, how you would like to be… Think about all these questions, and try to listen to yourself and not judge yourself, as if you were really a person you just met and would like to get along with. She puts on a grandmotherly attitude with unconditional love for her grandchild, and tries not to be too hard on you. She accepts your flaws and virtues, just as you are.
If, for whatever reason, it is too difficult for you and you do not feel comfortable with the way you are, think about what is in your power that you can change about yourself to be liked and liked. There are factors and aspects that we can change, and thus learn to be better people. This will make you feel better, more self-fulfilled and satisfied with yourself.
Also keep in mind that to be good with yourself, you have to have a good time being alone. This is achieved by doing pleasant activities on your own, whether it is practicing your hobbies at home, trying some new ones or going outside to do whatever you want. It cannot be that you only reserve moments of worry and anxiety for yourself.
3. Get out of your comfort zone and change your life
Your loneliness may be the cause of a set of different factors that have led you to that situation. However, we can assure you that there is a maintaining factor that will make it impossible for you to feel any other way: resign yourself to the situation, believe that you cannot change it, and adapt.
Accepting the situation is not resigning yourself and throwing in the towel, but quite the opposite. Nowadays, luckily, there are many ways and facilities to deal with loneliness in youth. Take advantage of them and look for solutions to your problem. Brainstorm ideas to end your loneliness, and choose the options that you like the most.
The more things you do, the more you can ensure that you end up winning the battle against loneliness. This will most likely involve leaving your comfort zone and subjecting yourself to situations that you find difficult or uncomfortable. Even so, keep in mind that you do it for a good reason that in the long run will give you psychological well-being thanks to good company and support.
4. Meet new people
One of the most obvious options to deal with loneliness in youth is to meet new people. For this, for example, you can use different apps. Social networks are the ones most used for this. They allow you to generally learn about the tastes, customs and ideologies of other people who may be similar to you, and you can try talking to them through their own apps or other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp either Telegram.
However, social networks can be a double-edged sword, since they give a false and idealized image of the lives of other people with whom we tend to compare ourselves. Use social networks taking this danger into account and going with a critical attitude so as not to believe everything that appears on them.
Another feasible option is dating apps, such as Tinder, in which there are more and more people who are only looking for friends, without romantic or sexual interest. There are also applications that announce social events that you can sign up for according to your own tastes, such as Meetups.
The idea is that these apps can make it easier for you to find people with common tastes. If using these apps doesn’t appeal to you, you can always sign up directly for classes or activity sessions related to your hobbies. Look for some that occur in your area.
They can be dance classes, singing classes, sports classes, drawing classes, pottery classes… Whatever you want to do and try. You can surely meet interesting people in these activities.
The problem may not be that you have few social relationships, but that they are not deep enough to talk about the topics you need and to feel supported. If the people around you cannot guarantee you company and support, something is wrong. It’s not so much the quantity, but the quality.
What you can do then is try to become more intimate with your acquaintances. For a relationship to be a safe environment in which to vent, you need to talk about your intimacies, and listen to and support the other person’s intimacies. Tell them how you feel, that you feel alone and that you need more support and company, or talk to them about other concerns.
This can cause insecurity at first, because you are not used to telling intimate things and you believe that they will not be well received. But it is important that you know that the deepest relationships are those in which you can talk about anything without judging the other person or being judged. You have to take the risk and try what happens in order to achieve a quality social relationship.
Go little by little, starting with less important topics and gradually increasing the degree of intimacy. Respect your own pace and that of the other person, it is not a matter of overwhelming them. And above all, keep in mind that the relationship has to be reciprocal, so listen to him too.
If you don’t get it with the first person you try, don’t be discouraged, there are people who don’t like such a level of intimacy and commitment, especially among young people. Therefore, keep trying with other people around you or people you have just met with whom you want to improve your relationship. Sooner or later you will find the right people, guaranteeing you a good network of support and affection.
