Throughout the month of August, we will be sharing articles focusing on the subject of loneliness to help raise awareness and positivity during the cold winter months.
Unfortunately in today’s society loneliness is rife in Australia, affecting one in four Aussies regularly. If you are yearning for companionship, here are some ways to combat feelings of loneliness:
Start a New Hobby
Sharing a hobby with a group is an excellent experience for companionship, automatically providing you with something in common in order to make new friends, alleviate your winter cabin fever and just generally enjoy being amongst your local community. This hobby could be anything from something active such as playing a sport or walking, or taking up a new skill such as sewing or playing guitar. If you would like to take up a new hobby and want some ideas, take a look at our article on the latest trending hobbies around Sydney in 2019.
Join a Volunteer Group
There are so many good causes you can join if you have enthusiasm, energy and some spare time. Helping others and making your local community a better place by volunteering can help you meet new people as you contribute in a positive way. Not only does this provide a brilliant opportunity to swap stories, share experiences and build positive relationships with others, but seeing the difference you are making can have the additional benefit of increased feelings of well-being.
Sign up to a Club
Joining a club is a great way to feel welcome, and to meet new people who have similar values and interests as you. There are so many clubs to choose from depending on your personality, identity and what is important to you – from sports clubs, ethnic clubs, regional clubs, career clubs or religious and spiritual clubs. Once you sign up and start sharing ideas and interacting with the group, try to build meaningful relationships with these people.
Talk to Someone
Talking about the emotional impacts of loneliness means you are not bottling up your emotions and you are not isolating yourself from the world. Communicating is such a powerful tool to express your feelings, take the weight off your shoulders and to help you as well as others understand what you are going through. Plus, talking to someone about why you are feeling lonely can help to identify a range of possible solutions.
Stay Positive!
Feeling lonely is a natural part of our lives, so it’s absolutely okay to feel lonely sometimes. Loneliness is a common feeling, experienced by everyone at some stage of their lives regardless of how big or small their friendship group may be. Try not to fear rejection, blame yourself or build up expectations of negative outcomes. Keep a positive outlook and always remember that feelings of loneliness can be overcome.
Organise an Event Buddy
If you or someone you love are feeling lonely and just want to live life to its fullest, another idea is to arrange a public outing such as a concert, sports match, perhaps check out a recent release movie, or visit a brand new café in your area that you’ve had your eye on. Do you live in NSW and are looking for someone to join you? Sign up with Home Care Heroes, who specialise in pairing those who need companionship with people in their local area who have identical interests. At an affordable rate of $40 per hour including weekends and public holidays, Home Care Heroes is an NDIS-approved provider with over fifty 5-star ratings on Google.