7 Tips to Cope with Loneliness During the Holidays

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People people everywhere. Fun and frolic everywhere. What is the thing within me which is making me lonely out of nowhere.

Well, the holiday times are near and almost all of us are looking forward for the December Holiday season when we are with our families and loved ones.

This time is not limited to only happiness, since there are many people out there who are not with their families and stay far away. Same goes for people who are not in any romantic relationships or do not have friends. For them the holidays can be a time of heightened loneliness and seclusion. Watching others enjoy with their respective families make people more lonely and out of place. Instead of cursing isolation and aloofness during the holidays, you can do things which can help you get emotional balance and completeness.

The only way to overcome loneliness is to take actions that involve emotional risks, which for lonely people is a scary proposition indeed. Some of the top picks from our side to make the time of holidays less isolated and lonely and create positive vibes in lonely people are as follows:

Tip 1: The activities you engage in and the daily choices you make affect the way you feel physically and emotionally.

• Stay active and eat healthy food: Do not go binge eating or drinking to ward off the loneliness. This is not going to take you anywhere and you would just be increasing the feeling of despair. You would not be able to help yourself.
• Learn about healthy nutrition and follow it religiously. You might think that the subject of nutrition is simple and you can do it anytime in your life. Stop thinking about not doing it because of the ease of it, but learn and grab what is good for you. It is sure to affect your energy and mood levels together, believe me.
• Exercise can relieve stress and enahnce your mood as well. Exercise is known to be a wonderful tool against stress and act as an antidote towards loneliness and anxiety. Prep up by adding small ways of activeness to your day - for example take the stairs for few floors and skip the escalator. Well you can easily target simple workout llike this for about half an hour each day.
• Expose yourself to Sunlight every day. Christmas time is the time of winters and shorter days. The sunlight becomes a precious thing and it can adversely effect your loneliness feel. Lift your mood by grabbing as much sunlight as you can. Opt for about half an hour of sun walk outside if possible. It can be combined with other hobbies like workout, gardening, or meeting your friend.
• Cut down on alcohol and cigarettes. Say no to drugs. They are effective for a very short term. Do not depend on these nimble stimulants that will make you feel good for very short duration. They carry long term negative impact on both psychological as well as physiological health.

Tip 2: You can also focus on things you really value in your life, like your work, the hobbies you have, or even your potential.

• Complete your leftover Dreams: This is the right time to concentrate on the old unfinished projects and tasks you had taken up, but struck with time crunch. You can keep yourself busy with the long time delayed self development tasks as well. Some of the examples are paint your room, or bathroom, create your long desired website, read an unfinished book, etc.
• Do or engage in some meaningful, creative work. Do things that will challenge your brain and creativity. Make youself feel productive and busy, whether you get paid or not. Do things like gardening, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, or building anything in your workshop. This will help you stay focussed and help from distracting thoughts of loneliness.

Tip 3: Volunteering is a powerful antidote to loneliness because it boosts one’s feelings of self-worth and usefulness.

Volunteering & Charity: Help other people who are less fortunate than yourself. They need affection and help so why not help them and help yourself, together. Help the homeless and hungry by devoting your time, efforts and money for their betterment. You might not believe it, but volunteering is a powerful medicine for loneliness. You can plan for your loneliness to stay away from you. Appear in social events which you have postponed since long, invite people to attend some charity event which you can organize as well, etc.

Tip 4: Take care of yourself. Do what you can to reduce your stress and connect with things and activities that you enjoy.

• Take very good care of yourself: Focus on self care and that too in a good way. Try to get enough sleep for yourself. Keep yourself engaged in physical activities you enjoy. You can practice breathing control exercise. Do some museum walk, movie time, opt for a bubble bath to soothe the senses, etc. You can do something which can make you feel safe and comfortable. By this option, your loneliness will not go away, but you can feel better and give you an opportunity to enjoy your solitude more. You can be satisfied later that you have done something with your free time.
• GO for complete range of sensual satisfaction. Stay calm and focussed. Always look out for options to soothe all the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Go for good music, keep flowers to see and smell them, massage your limbs, or drink something warm.
• Take on Leisure break on Priority. Do things which can make you feel good to do them. Enjoy funny movie, walk on the beach, listen to music, read book, or socialize with a friend. Playing is an emotional and mental need for we humans.
• Always stay thankful and appreciative about things you have. Think about the things which you have and not about what you don't have. Mediate, pray, relax, and pay attention to what is good, positive, and beautiful right throughout the day.

Tip 5: Do not just stay at home and feel lonely. Instead take a trip outdoor.

• Step out of your house: Start by tracking, biking, mountaineering, etc. If you are feeling lonely and down this Christmas holiday, instead of clinging to self-pity and seclusion, push yourself to go out and attend holiday parties and gatherings. By being surrounded with lots of people especially happy and positive people - you won’t feel as lonely as you do now.
• Have a pet for yourself. Can't believe it, but it is true that pets can make you feel needed and loved. There is no one in this world who will love you unconditionally. Only pets can do this magic right at your home. Animals have the power to take you out and give you exposure and access to the world outside.

Tip 6: Your feelings are real and worth exploring. If you feel you can’t share with family or friends what you’re going through, consider talking with a therapist.

• Rethink about what you expect - Reset your own expectation from yourself and do not drift with the expectations of others. Everyone ask you what you did in your holidays, just do not do something or feel something, thinking about the answer to this question. The so called “movie based standards” are not present for more than 99% of the people across the world and there is nothing calling perfect living. Just resetting your expectations will create huge difference in your outlook and feelings of holidays.
• Do something which will impact others for good - Being good and useful to others can help build your self-esteem and use in this world.
• Be self-disciplined and controlled. Self-control and discipline leads and gives you a sense of hope. You can overcome despair, helplessness, and other negative feelings by this nature.
• Discover new things or horizons which you have never touched. Think of it as an unknown candy and tasing it is worthy. Try some adult class, join a running/laughter club, go for a art trail walk, learn something new like language, culture, etc.

Tip 7: Reconnect with people with whom you’ve lost touch. Create your own social event and invite people to it.

• Seek for good company: Is the loneliness driven from your own nature of keeping people away from you when the expectations are high on celebrations front? This is the time in which you can think about it and start to deepen your friendships and relations with your partners, friends, colleagues, etc. Just introspect and think that the little extra time and energy you are going to spend in trying to get social is going to pay you off in long run.
• Spend your time with some real people and not on internet. Make it a point to meet 2-3 people and talk to them face to face. spending You can choose among your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family members who are positive and interested. Enquire about people you meet.
• Be a experimentor. Join some real social action, conservation, and interest groups which meet up on regular basis. Share common interests with your friends and social groups.

The bottom line is: "Focus your thoughts on what you have - instead of what you don’t have."