With billions of people in this world, do you still feel alone? Many do, and the loneliness can be crippling and paralyzing in a way that can affect your everyday life.
If you’re on the lookout for sure signs of loneliness, here are 14 you should watch out for.
1. Hangs Out With Horrible People
Lonely people tend to hang out with others even if they are treated horribly. More than just the fear of being alone, loneliness can make you feel desperate for friends.
Having toxic friends is worse than not having friends at all. When you cut off toxic friends, you create space for new friends who truly care for you.
2. Can Never Stop Talking
People who are often alone become talkative when they get the chance to chat with others. When you’re with people who listen to you, especially after spending so much time alone, you treasure those moments so much that you won’t want them to stop.
It can also be just one of the symptoms of a more serious mental health issue, along with anxiety and depression. You can talk to a qualified therapist to have a more accurate assessment.
3. Starts Withdrawing From People
When you feel lonely, you start withdrawing from everyone, even your family and friends. Self-isolation can be due to low self-esteem and social anxiety. In isolation, you don’t need to meet other people’s expectations and judgment. While it may offer some sort of relief, the physical distance from other people can worsen your loneliness.
It’s fine to have your alone time but don’t let yourself get used to it. Have the courage to talk to others and reach out to people you trust.
4. Rarely Shares About Themselves
While lonely people become talkative when they talk to others, they mostly never share something in-depth about themselves. Opening up about yourself can make you feel vulnerable, and that’s one thing that lonely people hate.
It might take some getting used to, but you can talk about yourself without feeling like you’re exposing your weaknesses. Find a person you trust with whom you’re okay feeling vulnerable as a start.
5. Feels Everything Is Pointless
The feeling of pointlessness is one of the symptoms that loneliness and depression share. It is a clear sign that you need to assess your mental well-being.
The feeling of helplessness can be paralyzing, but you don’t need to do something big just to feel the meaning in life again. Start as small as being in places with lots of people. Medical professionals claim that feeling other people’s presence can, in a way, ease this feeling.
6. Believes Negative Attention Is Better Than Nothing
A lonely person can be an attention-seeker, especially regarding social media. You might see them flooding replies on a Reddit thread or trolling other people just to get a reaction from them. The bitter truth is that negative attention is better than no attention for lonely people.
7. Workaholic
Being a workaholic is one of the signs of loneliness. Working hard can achieve both whether you’re just looking for a distraction from your lonely life or vying for your boss’ compliments.
While your hard work is commendable, make sure to still have a work-life balance. Go out with friends from time to time or pamper yourself.
8. Rarely Leaves the House
Lonely people rarely leave their homes because it takes a lot of energy to do so. Oftentimes, they stay indoors with a phone or computer in hand, trying to still feel connected outside by staying online. Some are too drained to go out, and others don’t enjoy being around people.
9. Tries Hard to Make People Laugh
From Charlie Chaplin to Robin Williams, some of the funniest people are lonely people. They try hard to make others laugh as a distraction from their pain and, at the same time to get attention from other people. It’s like they’re hiding the pain inside through smiles and laughs, making it hard for anyone to see what they feel.
10. Grabs Onto Friendly People
Lonely people can be very friendly and clingy, especially if they haven’t talked to anyone for a long time. Some can even be borderline obsessive, but this only means that they have attachment issues and are not confident about the relationships they have.
11. Uncomfortable Around Crowds
When someone’s lonely, staying around crowds can be uncomfortable. Imagine being surrounded by people when you don’t want to socialize with anyone in the first place.
They’d just smile and nod along just to seem involved. But you’d often see them in the corners of the room or trying to lose themselves in a book or a game.
12. Dresses Up to Do Simple Errands
Since some lonely people rarely leave their homes, they often dress up when they do, even if they just have some errands to do. It’s like a once-in-a-blue-moon situation for them they make sure to make the most out of the adventure.
13. Often Talk to Themselves or Their Pets
Self-talk is common to many people and can even be productive against mental health issues like anxiety and trauma. Lonely people also engage in self-talk and even converse with their pets to feel some kind of connection.
If it can help them feel better, nothing’s wrong with engaging oneself in self-talk as long as it’s positive and emotionally motivating.
14. More Active Online
Lonely people are more active online since it delivers the minimal connection they need without exhausting their social batteries. They post random and pointless things in their social media feeds and even comment haphazardly on other people’s posts. And whenever they go out, they tend to post so many stories just to show they’re somehow social.
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MSN Writer, Radical FIRE
Expertise: Entertainment, Travel, Interior Design, and Personal Improvement Niches
Education: Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Major in Development Tourism Management at Ateneo de Naga University
Experience: Marisa Bolivar is a content writer with 10 years of experience in creating blogs and articles across different industries on the web. She has explored many niches in her years working as a content specialist with her favorite zeroing on entertainment, from books to movies and TV shows. Marisa is also a bookworm, who has a fondness for personal improvement and philosophical authors like Paulo Coelho and Mitch Albom.