[Muffie's Mom]

B]Solutions:[/B]

To stop feeling lonely, the person must recognize those depressed feelings then accept it. For most, admitting such is very difficult, but that should not be seen as a sign of their personal weakness to feel so.

Expressing ones feelings in a peaceful, respectful, way can only be a good thing. Do it and feel the tension ease.

Challenge the reality of your pessimistic or negative thought. Be a bit selfish. Do some things you want to do for yourself.

This is a good time to focus on you and learn more about yourself. Develop personal interests that you may not have had time for before.

Take an aggressive approach to your own loneliness problem. Sometimes loneliness can make you feel as though you don't want to do anything. This is the time when you should pull out all the stops.

A change of activity can turn your mind. Even if you have only a slight interest in something that is non-violently helpful, act on it.

Learning to deal with loneliness is an art. It may be one of the biggest challenges any of us faces in life. Have positive expectations.

Once your identify what it is that makes you feel lonely, you are in a better position to deal with it. Take note of your loneliness when you sense it and try to discover what prompted the feeling.

When you can pinpoint the cause of your loneliness, it will not be hard to find ways to handle it. Often the simplest act can alleviate the problem.

Manage it. Much of the distress and fear of loneliness will diminish when you can identify what causes the problem and then attempt to modify the causes and conditions that produce your lonely feelings.

When you feel lonely for companionship, invite a friend to dinner. Even the suggestion of dining out will brighten your spirits. The thrust is to become more active in many more aspects of life.

Get your cushiony rump moving and do something. Does the author suggest being active? We wouldn't want that.

Transform loneliness into something of value to you. Turn it to your advantage by learning to handle it on your own.

Know yourself better. Seize the opportunity for personal growth rather than succumb to frightful periods of suffering. The way you choose to look at something has a direct bearing upon how you will be affected by it.

The battle over loneliness is a battle you may not always win. You may feel crazy, desperate and afraid. However, you can learn to live with loneliness, to overcome it and survive.

Be aware that the loneliness problem is really only open to a personal and private solution. There is not anyone who can solve it for you. Other people can help, but they cannot do the detailed work involved in breaking through the loneliness barrier.

Another way might be to write in a diary about days past. There are countless eight hundred hotlines that invite those who are trouble to call in to discuss problems with people who have endured similar histories.

Drawing, painting a picture, making up a song, or doing anything else that lets us begin to express the feelings we have inside us are all initial steps one can take to get on the road to feeling better, improved on lifes outlook. We might be able to begin to see where these feelings are coming from and make constructive changes.

Parents, family, or friends, are useful outlets we so easily ignore. Telephone, write, e-mail or visit them. Talking to an understanding friend can often help change a persons emotional forecast. If we don't have an understanding friend, talking with a pastor, teacher or counselor might be a place to start.

A great way to spend time with people and feel good about your contribution to the world is by volunteering. If your anxiety disorder is keeping you from volunteering in a traditional way, use your imagination.

Going into an online chat room and talking to someone else who is lonely is a start in the aggressive direction. If you are ready to volunteer outside your home, look to places that will be anxiety-friendly are churches, hospitals, and nursing homes.

Getting involved in some sort of activity or club can take our minds off of feeling lonely as we get involved in some sort of enjoyable activity; something one can tolerate doing for a precious few minutes.

If you're not sure what your interests are, just start participating until you find what you love. What would it take for a little attitude adjustment?

It can provide some structure in our lives so that we have things to look forward to. It can remind us of how good we might have felt in the past doing similar things.

Get involved in something because we know we've enjoyed it in the past or because we think it might be fun. That way were more likely to find ourselves enjoying what were doing and being with people who genuinely enjoy the same things.

We may also find out that some people like us for the way we already are. An added bonus is that we might also begin to realize that we could choose to engage in some of those activities or interests entirely on our own without feeling afraid.

Everyone feels lonely from time to time. Using some of the suggestions above will most likely help cope better with those feelings. A certain amount of loneliness in a person's life is to be expected. Don't try to escape it by running away from it. Do not wallow in panic.

Exercise and physical activity will increase your energy and help you to feel better about yourself. Work on developing relationships with others; through improved listening and communication skills. Seek opinions. Maintain a good attitude.

Present a positive self-image. Let others know from your body language that you welcome their communication with you.

If you find that you are having difficulty dealing with overwhelming feelings on your own, seek out the help of a mental health professional in your community. Please.