How to Stop Feeling Lonely

Ever find yourself depressed or bored at being alone, by yourself, with nothing to do and nowhere to go?

Before we proceed, carefully read this quote below:

“Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war. We meet at the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other’s way, and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications. Consider the girls in a factory — never alone, hardly in their dreams. It would be better if there were but one inhabitant to a square mile, as where I live. The value of a man is not in his skin, that we should touch him.”

– Henry David Thoreau, Walden [Solitude:13]

As Thoreau beautifully states, we as humans meet too often.

While this statement may seem shocking and dubious at first, careful consideration would reveal that indeed, some more time in solitude may not just be a bad thing, but for many reasons, actually a positive and beneficial thing.

By learning of how one can make constructive and positive use of time without others, we may learn to effectively stop feeling bad about time alone, and rather look forward to such times to further better ourselves.

Here’s how you can come to terms with being by yourself, and learn how to make the most of it:

1) Realize that undisturbed time alone is the most capable time to change yourself. 

When we have time to ourselves, and ourselves only, we can devote all our efforts into making ourselves better human beings. By this I mean meditating and trying to solve a particular problem that has been plaguing us, or working towards a skill or talent that will enrich our lives, such as learning to play a new instrument or working out at the gym.

By using your time effectively and efficiently, you will have made a positive development in your life, one that will continue to motivate you to work harder on your individual growth, and make looking forward to time alone a breeze!

2) Take some time to complete tasks that will allow you to relax later. 

We all hate the feeling of stress and anxiety that comes as we strive to finish our tasks closer and closer to the due date. Stop having that feeling and help your body out by spending some time now to complete the tasks you find boring and/or mundane. By doing this you allow yourself to space out tasks more evenly, and make the most productive use of your current time.

3) Go out, and carry nothing with you (including thoughts)

Often times when we think we are lonely, we fail to recognize the immense amount of life around us: The birds in the trees, the ants in the sand, and the fish in the pond.

Take some time to reminisce on all the gifts that nature has given us by spending some time outside. And don’t even seek to do anything else; keep all your electronic gadgets at home, and carry only your house keys if possible. Spend time walking outside, making careful note to devote all your attention to your surroundings and avoid thinking about your worldly problems.

I guarantee you that you will reconsider how amazing the world really is when you strip yourself of all your societal ties, and just let yourself become one with nature.

4) Soak yourself in culture (art)

One of my personal favorites when I have some time to myself, just immerse yourself in art. Take the time you have and go watch a couple movies that are widely regarded as greats (my personal choice for choosing a great movie: goodmovieslist.com), or start reading a few books that are widely regarded as masterpieces (amazing list of books, although be wary, a few may be hard to understand due to archaic English The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers).

By doing this, you may even find answers to questions or problems you may have been seeking for a long time, and even increase your ability to hold a conversation in public!

Conclusion

So there’s a few tips my friends, but the overall key message is this: time alone is some of the best time as we are completely free to do whatever it is that pleases our hearts.

And with that message in mind, go do something and make this day one to remember!