As a teen counsellor, many of the teens I counselled felt lonely. I could sense the loneliness in them. Some were lonely despite being surrounded with good people. They felt lonely while being surrounded by family and friends. While others felt lonely, because of some kind of loss. Loneliness is an empty indescribable feeling, which could possibly lead a person to depression.
Loneliness is usually considered to be a negative feeling. You don’t necessarily have to be someone who is extremely depressed or psychologically disturbed to feel lonely, because we all tend to feel lonely at some point in our lives. However, this negative feeling could be used positively.
When we are lonely, we tend to feel a wave of emotions flowing through us. Take these moments to ponder and reflect. Take these minutes to re-evaluate yourself. Think of new ideas to improve yourself, your surroundings and your interactions with others. Read a book, explore new skills and you will probably notice that you love things you never knew.
Take a walk in Nature. Nature always has a soothing and a calming effect on our minds. It also helps you to think more about life and understand life from a different perspective. In case you feel lonely when there’s no one around you, look into volunteering opportunities and help those who are in need. Volunteering opportunities not only make you feel better, because you’re helping, but at times you get to meet new friends, too!
Try reaching to your family and friends. Meet them and spend some of your quality time with them. This not only makes you feel less lonely, but helps you connect with your dear ones.
- The reader is a counsellor based in Chennai, India.
