How To Feel Better When You’re Alone
How To Feel Better When You’re Alone
The feeling of being alone is one that we have all experienced. Sometimes we choose to be alone, and other times it comes as a result of things we can’t control. This past weekend was the first time in a while where I experienced this feeling. It caught me by surprise to be quite honest. Living a busy lifestyle makes it easy for one to be surrounded by people and human interaction, and at the current moment, I think my life would fit into this category. Sometimes it’s tiring, but it’s also distracting. But what happens when the rush slows down?
The rush slowed for me as I arrived home from work last Friday. My roommates were both traveling, most of my friends were out of town, and I had no weekend work to get done. It was just me and the house cat. Having a weekend all to yourself can be refreshing, and a time to help you reset, think and catch up on projects, but it also can be hard to deal with if you aren’t used to it. When I’m alone, I tend to think about things that have happened in the past that I wish I could fix, or maybe have done differently. You can grow and learn by having your mind go there, but sometimes it’s too much to handle when you’re by yourself. It’s important to keep the head in a good space whenever you’re feeling alone, and there’s a few things you can do to help keep it there, and to help you instantly feel better.
If you think, think positive.
Positive thoughts lead to positive outcomes. Being alone and without anyone to talk to makes it easy for thoughts to run wild in our head. Rather than dwelling on mistakes or things that take your mind to a negative place, think about things that get you excited, or times when you’ve felt the happiest. Keeping a journal filled with feel-good quotes is an easy way to get thinking upwards. Whenever you come across one you like, write it down. The next time you’re alone and need some words of encouragement, read back through your journal.
Explore.
Getting out of the house is the best thing to do when you’re feeling alone. Even if it’s just a quick walk around the block. Feeling the warmth of sunshine on my skin and being in the outside air makes me appreciate the day, and encourages me to explore new places. If you live in a city, try walking around a neighborhood you haven’t spent much time in, or drive to the next town over and find out what it has to offer. You might even make a new friend in the process.
If you have a pet, play with it.
I’ve grown up with dogs, so at heart I’m really not that much of a cat person, but sometimes that changes if you are forced to live with one. Like I said before, it was just me and my roommate’s cat this past weekend at the house. When you’re alone, you realize how much companionship an animal can bring. They might not be able to talk, but they sure are good listeners :).
Plan a trip.
Being alone isn’t very exciting, so do something to get you excited about times ahead, like planning a trip. Use the down time you have to think about where you want to go, who you want to bring along, and all of the things you can do when you’re there. It it’s a road trip, try embroidering out your route for something creative and useful to do. If you have that dream location you’ve always wanted to travel to, figure out exactly how you are going to get there.
Go to a coffee shop.
Even though you might not be surrounded by people you know and love, you can still surround yourself with people. I’ve found that being in a room full of strangers is sometimes better than being in a room with just yourself when you are feeling lonely. Coffee shops are perfect for this. Spend a few hours at your favorite one, reading, drawing, surfing the web or just relaxing. Chances are, there’s someone sitting right next to you doing the same thing for the exact same reason.
Turn on the Netflix.
If nothing else, there’s always Netflix. Curl up on the couch with your favorite snack and start that series you’ve heard so much about, or that movie you’ve been wanting to see. Getting sucked into a plot line is an easy way to forget your feelings of being alone, and in my book there’s nothing wrong with watching an entire HBO series in one sitting.
What do you do to feel better when you’re alone?
More inspiring posts from the BLDG 25 Blog.
Follow FP Jana on Twitter.