subject: 3 Ways to Avoid Loneliness [print this page] It is normal to feel lonely from time to timeIt is normal to feel lonely from time to time. Prolonged loneliness however can lead to depression and might be a sign of something that needs to actively addressed. Here are three steps to fighting loneliness.
1. Talk to people. The first step in dealing with loneliness is to talk to other people and let them know you are feeling lonely. Who you talk to or how many people you talk to is not as important as that the people you talk to are those you can trust. Ironically, those we are closest to (a spouse for example) may not be the ones we should talk to, as they may react with the feeling that they have failed you. Telling someone that you are lonely almost always stimulates empathy and you may be surprised at how many ideas they come up with to help you break out of loneliness. Most importantly, talking to someone breaks the circular pattern of thinking of loneliness.
2. If symptoms persist, find a trusted counselor. Counselors are trained in spotting maladies of the heart and have a whole bag of tricks to help you get out of them. Clients often come to regard counselors as their friend but this can be a deceptive temptation. Counselors are trained to help you and it their professional duty to do so to their best of their abilities. No doubt that counselors get a great deal of satisfaction from their work and have great affection for their clients. Co-dependent relationships, however, need to be avoided. The counselor does not have to be a licensed psychologist. He or she can also be a clergyman, rabbi, or monk if that is preferred.
3. Have faith. Faith is a word we often use without really considering what it really means. It is often interpreted as a strong belief in oneself or in the flow of events (that everything will work out), and probably that is a good interpretation if one can hang on to that. For others, faith is a belief in an ultimate good that is beyond the self or higher than the self. Just the willingness alone to believe in a higher power unique to each individual has been shown to be very effective in recovery programs and the concept is growing.
