Are You Lonely?

Symptoms:

- Feelings of low self esteem and lack of self confidence

- Frequent anger and irritability

- Feelings of anxiety

- Sense of hopelessness

- Loss of appetite or emotional eating

- Experiencing sleep disturbances

- Avoidance of social interactions

- Indulgence in self – neglect in terms of health and grooming

- Sometimes occurrences of crying spells

- Loss of interest in leisure activities or hobbies

- Frequenlty feeling fatigued, lethargic and sad

- Feeling depressed often

Negative effects:

The harmful effects of loneliness can be felt on one’s physical and health, as well as on interpersonal relationships and social life. Regarding physical health, it mentions effects ilke decrease in weight due to lack of interest in eating food or increase in weight due to overeating, constipation, Loose motions and gastric problems like indigestion.

There are many studies to correlate it with an increased risk of cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Loneliness can play a part in alcoholism.In children , a lack of social connections is directly linked to several forms of antisocial and self-destructive behavior. Loneliness often has a negative impact on learning and memory. Its effects on sleep pattern can have a devastating effect on the ability to function in everyday life.

As for social life, lonely persons often feel disconnected from the people around them . Because of this, they tend to withdraw from social interactions and situations , and thus their social skills suffer

How to cope with it:

-Take the initiative and be a friend first. Smiles are free, handshakes are free and listening carefully costs nothing. Be nice first and eventually others will reciprocate.

- Engage in activities of your interest where u will meet people. By doing so, u will meet people with whom you have something in common.

- We all get subjected to ANT’s Automatic negative thoughts.These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing they must be talking about me,” ot The boss wants to see me ? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts realize that they are nothing more than ANT’s and squash them!

- Many people that suffer from feeling lonely also suffer from low self-esteem. There is no easy way around this and if you want to overcome feeling on lonely, then you have to work on yourself, try ways to boost your self-confidence.

- Don’t sit aloof and isolated. There are times when people feel that you don’t want to be friends with or you exude arrogance. Try to be a part of a group. Do not wait for other people to visit you or speak to you. Try to talk to people you sit next to in class or at meals or in breaks at work.

- Some people resort to alcoholism, smoking, drugs etc. to get away from loneliness. Remember this is not a permanent solution.

- Loneliness can lead to depression too, therefore seek professional help. This can help shift patterns of thought and expectations. It can help boost confidence and self- esteem.