Many people have, at some points in their lives, felt an emptiness or like a void created within them with a complementary feeling of loneliness. The truth is that, this feeling is not necessarily triggered by lack of people around you but lack of relevant people. It is possible for someone to be in a crowd with people and still have the feeling of loneliness. In the same way, it is also still possible that someone miles away can keep someone company more than the person that is physically present with the person. It is all as a result of emotional connection. Here, we shall take a look at how to deal effectively with loneliness.

The dangers of loneliness is so much that it should be dealt with all seriousness. Most people that finally go into depression started as being lonely and it degenerated and led them to depression. So each time the signs of loneliness come, you should take a stand against it. Just to let you know, the feeling of loneliness is like a seed that if nurtured, could grow into something big. So how do you prevent it?

1. Physically connect more with people and make new friends

In this era of social media and digital multimedia, many people have laid less emphasis on physical connection because they spend the major part of their time behind their devices. This can explain why the cases of loneliness and depression among today's generation is on the increase. You cannot underestimate the power that lies in physically connecting with people. You will agree with me that there is a kind of lift that comes into you when you go out with people and when you engage in other forms of social activities.

If you have noticed the onset of loneliness while being active online, it may just be that you need to take a break and see the offline world. Learn to make new friends and also strengthen on the old ones that you have. Instead of chatting your neighbour on weekends, it will be better to go meet them. It is weird to know that some people can stay in a neighbourhood for months without even knowing who their neighbours are and without friends visiting them. It is true that the Internet has provided us a pathway to do many things (like working, earning, studying, etc) but you should also learn to balance up with it. Because just like it has advantages, it also has inherent consequences if misused.

There are some people that are members of social forums, societies, clubs, etc, because of the singular reason to connect with people, you can also adopt that. I have a friend that registered with a gym for exercises even though he had virtually all gyming equipments in his house. When I asked him the reason, he responded that "gyming at home and doing it in a facility where I can meet people does not feel the same." When I took a look at his normal schedule; he works remotely online at home and most of his works are via proxy, so he hardly meet people physically. The gym was like an avenue for him to meet people and get connected with the outside world.

2. Take a hobby, do what makes you happy

There must be at least one thing that you are interested in doing that makes you happy, this could also reduce or even prevent the feeling of loneliness. For example, there are some people that find pleasure in travelling and exploring new places, or maybe learning an art or a sport. You have to understand that everything is not all about work, you should take some rest once in a while and engage in your hobby. I believe this is the reason this popular quote has it that:

All work and no play makes one a dull person

Even in the working environment, they normally give their workers "break or leave." Obviously there is a reason for it and that is to allow the employer to recharge themselves so as to be better productive. By doing what makes you happy, you are keeping yourself distracted from the things that bring the feeling of loneliness.

Thanks for reading