Sometime or another we will experience a time when we are alone. Some people fear being alone for various reasons. The first step is to become comfortable with yourself and having the self-confidence that you will be able to manage being alone. There is nothing wrong with being alone. If being alone bothers you then seeing a counselor can help you with these issues.
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In the meantime, here are thirteen tips for overcoming the fear of being alone.
1. Find An Activity
Find an activity that you enjoy and where you can meet a lot of people. Doing something that you like to do will make you happy and will increase your chances of making friends.
2. Spend Time With Animals
Spending time with an animal or pet can help us to feel better. Animals can be of good company to all of us whether we are alone or not. There are many local shelters that could use your time and talents.
Related: Why (Almost) Every House Should Have a Pet
3. Helping Others
There are many people out there who could benefit from your time and skill sets. Helping others can give you a source of pride and accomplishment and also can lead to friendships.
4. It Could Be Worse
It isn’t fun being alone, but sometimes there are worse things. For instance, imagine that you are married or stuck in a relationship that you can’t get out of and also makes you miserable. As a result, you are stuck living with someone that you can’t stand and makes you depressed. With this viewpoint, being alone doesn’t sound that bad.
5. Be Constructive
Sitting around and doing nothing will not make things any better whether it is dealing with the fear of being alone or something else. Take it one day at a time and stay committed to trying to solve your problem.
6. Things Can Change
Nothing remains the same forever. No one can predict the future with one hundred per cent accuracy. Events change all of the time. Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict which can be used to your advantage. You never know when the help and answers you are looking for will come to you.
7. You’re Not The Only Who Is Alone
Remember that everyone deals with loneliness sometime in their life. Focus on your life and don’t compare yourself to others. Continue to seek friendships with other people and don’t feel sorry for yourself. There are kinds of people in various circumstances so don’t assume that you are the only who is alone.
8. Read Something Positive
Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that makes you feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you feel depressed, open up your small notebook and read those statements.
9. Take advantage of the help that is available around you
If possible, talk to a professional who can help you manage your loneliness and anxieties. They will be able to provide you with additional advice and insights on how to deal with your current problem. By talking to a professional, a person will be helping themselves in the long run because they will become better able to deal with their problems in the future.
10. Learn to take it one day at a time
Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems. You never know when the answers you are looking for will come to your doorstep. We may be 99 per cent correct in predicting.
11. Develop a network of friends
Get involved in different social groups will help you as you get older. Friends can reduce loneliness and also makes us feel better. If you do not know anyone then join a local church or social group. Another idea is to volunteer. There are many people who need help and volunteering will keep us active.
12. The most important thing is to be yourself
Do not pretend to be someone you are not because it will eventually catch up to you. Even if you are not the most popular person, being yourself will go a long way. You want your potential friends to be your friend for who you are and not for what you have or do not have.
13. Do Not Be Too Aggressive
You can’t force something that is not there. If you have a difficult time in finding somebody, the best thing is to be happy being single. Being in a relationship is not all fun and games. There are advantages of being single and being in a relationship. Regardless of your situation, be happy with what you have. It takes time to develop good friendships so be patient and take things in stride.
This post was written by Stan Popovich. He is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear” which is located at http://www.managingfear.
