If you’ve ever felt lonely before, you know just how badly it can hurt.
Scientists have even called loneliness an epidemic due to how widespread and severe the isolation can seem in our modern way of living. We all have feelings of being alone in this world from time to time, but we can learn valuable lessons through the seemingly unbearable pain. The next time you feel lonely, refer to the following quotes for guidance and support.
“Don’t feel lonely; the entire universe is inside you.” – Rumi
Here are 11 quotes to remember when you feel lonely:
1. “Not everyone you lose is a loss.” – Unknown
2. “Sometimes, you just need a break. In a beautiful place. Alone. To figure everything out.” – Unknown
3. “When you are evolving to your higher self, the road seems lonely. But you’re simply shedding energies that no longer match the frequency of your destiny.” – Unknown
4. “The hardest walk is walking alone, but it’s also the walk that makes you the strongest.” – Unknown
5. “A meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words.” – Unknown
6. Standing alone is better than being around people who don’t value you.
7. “To find peace, sometimes you have to be willing to lose the connection with the people, places, and things that create all the noise in your life.” – Unknown
8. “Sometimes you need to take a break from everyone and spend time alone to experience, appreciate, and love yourself.” – Robert Tew
9. “People know your name, not your story. They’ve heard what you’ve done, but not what you’ve been through. So take their opinions of you with a grain of salt. In the end, it’s not what others think, it’s what you think about yourself that counts. Sometimes you have to do exactly what’s best for you and your life, not what’s best for everyone else.” – Unknown
10. “You can come out bitter or you can come out better. There is purpose in your pain.” – Unknown
11. “The ones who notice the storms in your eyes, the silence in your voice and the heaviness in your heart are the ones you need to let in.” – Unknown
During times of intense loneliness, remember the following five tips to help you out:
1. Join groups that have the same interests as yours.
In order to overcome loneliness, you need to feel a common bond with others. We all have an intrinsic need to feel accepted by others, and connecting with like-minded people could turn out to be the best decision you’ve made for your mental and emotional health.
2. Take time to know yourself better.
“You cannot be lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.” – Wayne Dyer
In all honesty, you must learn to enjoy your own company before you can truly appreciate the company of others. Otherwise, you will only want to connect with other people out of desperation in an attempt to escape from yourself. You have to go deep within and break all the chains that bind you so that you can finally leave behind any emotional trauma from the past. It will seem much easier to connect with others once you’re fully in tune with your own self.
3. Try to meet someone new each time you go out.
How many times do you notice people’s heads in their phones when you go out in public nowadays? Maybe you have fallen into this habit as well, so try to put away your phone for a change and go up to someone new. Strike up a conversation with the girl at the grocery store check-out, or the person waiting at the bus stop, or the jogger at the running trail that you frequent.
You have a chance to connect with someone pretty much anywhere you go; we have a world occupied by more people than ever before, so really, we all don’t have much of an excuse for feeling lonely. It just takes reaching out to someone and not limiting ourselves to our current reality.
4. Spend less time in virtual reality, and more time in the real world.
We can instantly connect with almost anyone online, but it just doesn’t compare with a face-to-face human connection. We can’t hug someone online, or see the change in their facial expressions, or feel the energy of the person through the computer or phone. Try to limit your technology use to a few hours a day if you can; you will find that you have much more time to bond with your current friends and even make connections with new ones.
5. Remember that feelings are only temporary.
Not to argue that loneliness is definitely a growing reality in our modern world, but does a temporary feeling accurately depict your entire life? Maybe you have a tight-knit group of friends and family, but just feel lonely at the moment. Sometimes our feelings don’t always mirror our reality, so make sure to tune in to these emotions whenever they arise.
