Loneliness Hurts

But we have tips to help you overcome the pain.

At The HELLO Project, our goal is to connect seniors in our community and help to bring them out of isolation and loneliness. As humans, most of us need that sense of community, connection and giving and receiving love. So, it should come as no surprise that loneliness hurts.

When you feel lonely, review the following tips to help deal with the pain and hurt it may bring.

Connect with yourself 100 percent

Often times our initial reaction when we feel loneliness or isolation coming on is to try and distract ourselves. We may turn to “healthy” forms of distraction such as reading, exercising or working, or “unhealthy” forms like drinking, overeating or binge-watching television shows.

We may feel better temporarily, but often will end up with other problems like weight gain, exhaustion or addiction. When we try to control or bury our emotions, they often stick with us for years. If we pay attention to the emotion and accept it, it could be the key to letting it go.

Here are three exercises for embracing loneliness: 1. Make the emotion is your main focus. This may feel awkward and uncomfortable if you are used to distracting yourself from your feelings. Take in how it is making you feel and accept it. Emote if necessary.

2. Be silent. This can be very hard for some people since we are surrounded in a world of noise, music, dings and alerts. Plan a specific amount of time to be with yourself in silence. Go for a walk. Sit on your porch. Or go to the park. Do your best to present and drink in everything around you.

3. Practice mindful meditation. Meditation has become extremely mainstream and there are many forms. You can find guided meditation online videos and podcasts. The important (Hello page 25)