BY STAN POPOVICH
Sometime or another we will experience a time when we are alone. Some people fear of being alone for various reasons.
The first step is to become comfortable with yourself and having the self-confidence that you will be able to manage being by yourself.
With this in mind, here are eight suggestions that a person can use so that the fear of loneliness doesn’t become a major issue in their life.
- Find an activity that you enjoy doing: Joining a group activity can be a great way to meet people. Doing something that you like to do will make you happy and the fact that you will be around different people will increase your chances of making friends.
- Spend your time with a pet: Animals are a great source of companionship. Volunteer at your local animal shelter to help those animals who are in need. Another option is to consider adopting a pet. Regardless, spending time with your favorite pet or animal will overcome your loneliness.
- Help others through community service: There are many people out there who could benefit from your time and talents. Helping others can give you a sense of pride and accomplishment and help you not to focus on your loneliness. You can also increase your chances of meeting others with similar interests.
- It could be worse: Imagine that you are married or stuck in a relationship that you can’t get out of and also makes you miserable on a daily basis. Being in an unhappy relationship can be very depressing, so remind yourself the next time you feel a little lonely. This will help put some things in perspective.
- Spending time with God can help: Spending time with God and asking God for help in your time of loneliness can be of great comfort. You never know how God will work in your life. Including God in your everyday living can help reduce your loneliness. Talk to a priest or minister for some guidance.
- The important thing is to be active: Sitting around and doing nothing will not make things any better whether it is dealing with the fear of being alone or something else. Take it one day at a time and try to make the effort of being active with others in your community.
- Things can change: Nothing remains the same and events change all of the time. Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict which can be used to your advantage.
- Your not the only one who is alone: Remember that everyone deals with loneliness sometime in their life. Focus on your life and don’t compare yourself to others. Continue to seek friendships with other people and don’t feel sorry for yourself. There are all kinds of people in various circumstances so don’t assume that you are the only one who is alone.
BIOGRAPHY Stan is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear” which covers a variety of techniques that can drastically improve your mental health. For more information, please visit Stan’s website at http://www.managingfear.com
