5 Steps to Overcome Loneliness.

I once read a tweet that said “Being alone is lonely.” Pretty much.

So, here’s the thing about living in a country you didn’t grow up in where everyone you know and love (okay, not everyone…) is 5,000 miles away. It is fun, exciting and adventurous at times! But other times, you feel homesick and just lonely.

Homesickness is a topic for another day, but today I am going to tell you some things that have helped me along the way with dealing with loneliness.

1. Acknowledge the face that although you may feel lonely, you’re actually not alone.

I know this may sound weird, but in reality, we really aren’t alone. There are so many opportunities for us to get out of the house and out of our loneliness and do something about it! There are people in your life. There is DEFINITELY at least one person in your life who cares about you and loves you. It could be your Mom or a best friend or maybe even a person who you wouldn’t expect? Search out that person! Allow yourself to be and feel loved. We all know how good it is to talk with Mom for a little bit.

2. Write down your feelings.

Grab a notebook and a pen and start writing down on paper your emotions and how you’re feeling. Why do you feel lonely? What situation occurred that made you feel that way? Writing can sometimes be a good release. It allows you to express how you’re feeling in your own words and gives you a larger perspective of the situation and maybe even an idea of what you can do to fight back.

3. Go for a walk and make small talk with people you encounter.

You honestly never know who you will meet down the road. Or stop into a coffee shop and make small talk with the person in front of you. If you’re real nice, maybe they’ll buy you a coffee 😉 No promises there, but if you are willing to break out of your shell just a little bit, you’ll be surprised by how many new and exciting people there are in the world that you have yet to meet!

4. Take a drive. 

Now this one is something I do personally. I haven’t done this since living in Germany because a) I don’t have my own car and b) driving stick around a bunch of aggressive Germans doesn’t make me feel any better. But in Oregon I used to do this quite a bit, I would get in my car, turn some music on, and just blast it as I tried to get myself lost. Fun fact about me: I have an incredible sense of direction. Most of the time, I would end up driving past some one’s house and then call them to see what they were doing. You have a 50/50 chance that someone is home and will want to hang out with you. Do something that just gets you out of the house. That I cannot stress enough.

5. TREAT YO SELF.

Friend, if you are just down in the dumps and are incredibly introverted like I am, get yo butt in a cozy blanket and turn on your favorite movies and grab some of your favorite snacks. That “diet” can wait another week (because we all know we just wait until Monday, anyways). You get yourself some you-time. Or maybe you just want to go shopping. Do it. Put your favorite outfit on and do your hair and make-up if you’re into it. And go grab a Starbucks frappachino with way too much sugar in it and go window shopping (even your wallet won’t allow real shopping). Also, please don’t understand this as shop until your bank account drops. Don’t do that. Just do something nice for yourself!

These are some of my favorite ways to battle feeling lonely. Do you have some tips and tricks? Tell me all about it in the comments 🙂

Until next time,

Sara xoxo