Dealing with Loneliness Starts with Paying Attention to your Thoughts

Loneliness and social isolation can be an opportune moment for self-reflection. However, take heed to the warning that during times of self-reflection, our personal thoughts and feelings may automatically default to feelings of rejection or abandonment, and to thoughts that nobody wants to be with us or around us, or to feelings of being unwanted, which may ultimately lead one to feeling depressed. Do bear in mind that these thoughts are false beliefs and in most cases untrue. They are just thoughts and are not grounded in reality.

Dealing with loneliness starts with paying close attention to our thoughts. If you are feeling lonely today, my action steps for you is to reflect on uplifting thoughts that would serve you. What have you learned about yourself in the past two years. Can I jump in and answer this for you? I may not know you, but I believe that you are resilient, you are strong, and steadfast. You are a survivor. You have survived a pandemic, You have survived lockdown restrictions and this tells me that you are unstoppable. Can you write down three other uplifting qualities about yourself that you have discovered about yourself during this season of loneliness?

How have you impacted the lives of others? It doesn’t need to be anything mind-blowing. It can be just as simple as texting a friend to see how they are, or keeping someone company or just encouraging someone, who is feeling down.

If you find during the lonely seasons in your life, that feelings of worthlessness start to creep up on you. Raise the red stop sign. Declare to yourself how worthy you are and how much you are needed in this world, and how you can make a difference in the lives of others for the better.