{"id":138415,"date":"2019-04-17T02:00:43","date_gmt":"2019-04-17T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/?p=138415"},"modified":"2020-09-01T09:05:13","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T16:05:13","slug":"what-to-do-when-lonely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/what-to-do-when-lonely\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When You’re Feeling Lonely, According to Therapists\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all felt lonely before. Sometimes, the feeling comes out of nowhere, and it’s hard to pinpoint the cause. Other times, it’s the aftermath of a specific situation like loss, stress, trauma, or major life changes. Either way, there\u2019s not always an easy fix, but there are<\/em> ways to cope with loneliness.<\/p>\n

Therapists share six things you should try the next time you feel lonely.<\/p>\n

Take advantage of technology<\/strong>
\nThanks to technology, there’s always someone available to talk to. “Even a simple text or email can help you feel connected to others,” says Brittany Rushin<\/a>, a marriage and family therapist. If your go-to people aren\u2019t around, you can take the opportunity to connect with someone new or get back in touch with an old friend.<\/p>\n

Walk<\/b>
\nYour interactions with others don\u2019t necessarily have to be full-fledged conversations. “It can be as simple as taking a walk and smiling at people, going to a cafe and talking to the barista, or stopping by a bookstore and simply enjoying the company,” says Rushin.<\/p>\n

Journal<\/strong>
\nSometimes, the answer to loneliness is not to get rid of it but to explore it. \u201cWriting about the situation can be freeing and help you gain a new perspective,\u201d shares Rushin.<\/p>\n

Practice self-care<\/strong>
\nWhen you show\u00a0yourself<\/em> love, the need to receive love from others can decrease. When you have some time to yourself, Rushin suggests taking a bath, getting a massage, or getting your nails done.<\/p>\n

Go shopping<\/strong>
\nIf you have errands to run, that may be just the thing you need to break your loneliness. \u201cSimply shopping amongst others \u2013 sharing chatter in the vegetable aisle or parking lot \u2014 can reduce loneliness,\u201d says clinical psychologist Dr. Carla Marie Manly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Invite someone over<\/strong>
\nPerhaps the most obvious solution is to request some company. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to get stuck thinking that you\u2019re the only one who is lonely,\u201d says Manly. \u201cGet used to inviting friends or acquaintances to go on a walk, share a cup of tea, or cook dinner together.\u201d<\/p>\n

P.S. Did you know that your negativity can actually mess with your brain chemistry? Yep, here’s why you might want to reconsider viewing the cup as half empty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

xx, The FabFitFun Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":"We\u2019ve all felt lonely before. Sometimes, the feeling comes out of nowhere, and it's hard ...","author":7532795,"featured_media":138417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,260],"tags":[],"thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/17093239\/lonely.jpg","thumbnail_url_middle_card":"https:\/\/static.fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/17093239\/lonely-386x200.jpg","formated_date":"April 17, 2019","category_name":"Life","category_icon":"https:\/\/d3vodd1ws13xud.cloudfront.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/10113832\/entertainment.svg","author_name":"Suzannah Weiss","trending":false,"sponsored":false,"random_color":"#abfcb5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138415"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7532795"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabfitfun.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}