Help with Loneliness

Loneliness is being alone when you don’t want to be or still feeling this way when you are around other people. Choosing to be by yourself is different to loneliness as this is your choice to be in your own company.

Everybody can feel lonely at times and there can be lots of different reasons for this such as moving to a new school/college, losing someone close to you or having different life experiences which you feel others can’t relate to.

If you are feeling lonely, it can be difficult to cope with and it can start to affect your mental health.  It can make you feel sad or depressed.

There are things that you can do which may help you to feel better.

• Focus on self-love. Spending time to do things you enjoy and having some time to yourself will build your confidence. Did you know that Bolton has a Self-Love campaign developed by young people? We’ve put it in the downloads below!
• Express your feelings. Keep a journal to track your mood and reading over it might help you to see things that you may need some support with. There are lots of people who want to help you like parents/carers, friends, teachers or youth workers. If you struggle to speak to people face to face you could try speaking to a trusted adult on kooth.com which is free for anyone in Bolton aged 10 to 25.
• Take on a hobby – Are there certain things you enjoy doing or want to try for the first time? Getting involved in a project or hobby is a great way to keep your mind busy and you’ll feel good afterwards. You could maybe look at joining a club where you can build new friendships, socialise and have some fun.

If you are struggling, it is important that you reach out for support.  You could talk to somebody that you can trust such as parents/carers or wider family members.  You could also speak to your GP about how you are feeling.  They will be able to suggest local services for you to get some support or suggest specific treatment for you.