Coping With Loneliness

We are born alone. We die alone. And except for very rare cases, we periodically experience loneliness in our lives, no matter how successful our career or personal lives are. Parents die, best friends move away or disappear; husbands and lovers die or move on.

So, how do you cope?

Dress up and go out and roam the streets – to connect with other people's lives. Soon the depression would leave you become intent on observing someone else – the vendor on the street corner, the couple quarreling in the restaurant, the beggar on the block. When you focus your full attention on someone else, you are no longer conscious of your own grief, or loneliness.

Another way to conquer loneliness is work. You forget about your own personal pain, or something. Even physical exercise helps. An hour of exercise stimulates the body and the emotions.

Get busy. Get involved with other people and problems. If you don't have a job, get involved in a hobby. Volunteer your services – here are always NGO's that need another hand. Give yourself a treat. If you have money for a chocolate, buy a box. You can work it off later. If you like wine, have a glass. If you yearn for the comfort food of your childhood – chicken soup, mashed potatoes, and cotton candy – get some.

Indulge and coddle yourself. Do whatever it takes that will make you feel better. Travel is always an option, since fresh scenery and fresh faces revitalize the observer.

Have a quiet time with the Lord. If you feel that you are overburdened with problems, try to unload them to the Lord. He is ready to listen, guide, help, and give solution to our problems.