Overcoming Loneliness: 5 Keys to Break Isolation

Connecting emotionally with others and truly socializing can make all the difference.

In an increasingly interconnected world, it may seem strange that there are still people who feel lonely, but the reality is this. New technologies have made it possible for us to exchange words more frequently, but the impact they have had on the quality of the emotional ties that bind people together has not been unequivocally positive.

Bearing in mind that there are no magic solutions to isolation that can solve the problem overnight? how to overcome loneliness?

Methods to help 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 Western cultural countries, extraversion is highly valued, and introversion and the tendency to want to be alone has a worse image. This may cause some people to raise a problem that doesn't exist: Why don't I enjoy being in the company of others more? What is my problem?

The truth is that in principle, loneliness is only harmful when it generates a clear suffering caused by the scarcity of moments in which one connects emotionally with others. This is also what explains why very popular people with a busy social life can come to feel an emptiness inside as they feel that these interactions are meaningless or not based on honesty.

So, the first step in knowing how to overcome loneliness is to be clear about whether there really is something that needs to be overcome.

2. Reconcile yourself with your habits and tastes.

There are people who, although they do not realize it, feel lonely because they decide to exclude themselves from social life. This is often the case with people who think they are too unique and who think of others as forming a single homogeneous category: "others" on the one hand, and "me" on the other.

But there are too many people in the world to reduce them all to a single stereotyped concept. That's why, if the problem lies in tastes, mentalities and hobbies, nothing should prevent us from go to where the people are who have all that in common with us..

The Internet, while by itself does not guarantee that we will overcome loneliness, 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 engage in stimulating conversations and, from there, create new friendships.

3. Seek support from those closest to you.

Overcoming loneliness is no easy task, and that is why it is worth not rejecting any available help. After all, one of the first steps in solving any psychological problem is to get rid of artificial problems, and the obsession to achieve everything for the sake of it. the obsession to achieve everything by oneself. is as irrational as it is unconstructive.

In this case, moreover, we have the advantage of the fact that the very fact of seeking support from family and friends helps to 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 that we did not have access to before.

4. Force yourself to attend social events

If you are thinking about ways to overcome loneliness, you may be experiencing some symptoms of loneliness, you may be experiencing some depressive symptoms due to the isolation you feel. you feel. In this emotional state our energy level and ability to take initiative drops, so it's hard to move around and get involved in stimulating tasks.

That is why, even if you do not feel like it, one of the great resources to use to break with loneliness is to force yourself to attend social events and, once there, maintain a proactive attitude. This will give you the opportunity to start associating this type of activity with fun, interesting conversations, the possibility of making friends, etc.

Of course, in case you feel that your depressive symptoms are too intense, or in case you have already been diagnosed with some form of depression, you should keep in mind that trying to follow this pattern will be totally counterproductive, as you will probably not be able to follow it and you will become even more frustrated. In such cases it is the disorder, and not the loneliness, that is the main problem.

5. Train yourself in techniques to develop assertiveness.

Now that you have broken through the first barrier of your comfort zone, it is time to break through the remaining one and become more actively involved. and become more actively involved in conversations..

To do this, avoid at all costs pondering about the best time to intervene; just say what you think clearly and with a firm tone of voice. If you don't do it this way, your personal characteristics, your tastes or your appearance won't matter: people won't pay attention to what you say, because they will notice that even you don't give much importance to your message.