Feeling like they you’re lonely sometimes is something that can happen for lots of different reasons.
You might have:
- changed school
- moved house
- trouble with your friends or grown apart
- experienced a loss
- been bullied
The pandemic had a big impact on everyone’s social lives and how we interact with people. It can be hard to reconnect and start to build up your confidence again.
Being lonely is not always about age or being physically alone. You can feel lonely at any age or be surrounded by people.
Admitting you feel lonely is hard because you might feel you’ll be judged for how you feel, and it can make you feel ashamed or embarrassed.
If you are living in care, you might feel lonely, and it’s important to let someone you trust know. It can be stressful coping with the feelings on your own.
How loneliness can make you feel
You might feel like everyone around you has lots of friends, are popular, or have followers on social media, and this can increase feelings of loneliness. Even people who seem to have lots of friends around them can feel lonely too.
Everyone finds it difficult to talk about loneliness, so it can be hard to take that step, and you may not want to talk about it.
Feeling lonely can:
- make you feel stressed
- impact your sleep
- make you more anxious
- lower your confidence
Things you can do to feel less lonely
Admitting that you feel lonely is a big step to take, but it means you can start to do things that will help you feel less alone.
There are lots of different ways you can help yourself feel less lonely.
You could:
- join a club or group – you can search “youth groups” and see a list of clubs local to you. It might seem like a hard thing to do at first, but clubs are usually very welcoming and new people join all the time.
- express yourself – think about how you can express how you feel. You might want to draw, paint, listen to music, or write a journal.
- volunteer – being a volunteer is a great way to meet new people who share your interests and learn new skills.
It can be hard to imagine joining a club or meeting new people if your self-esteem is low but taking that step can really change things.
Talk to someone
If your feelings are overwhelming and making you unhappy, it might be time to talk to someone.
You can talk to:
- an adult that you trust
- a counsellor
- your doctor
- a teacher you trust
- your social worker