Whether you’re in a relationship or not, you can definitely have feelings of loneliness. But why would you feel lonely when you have someone you love in your life? Even when they’re right beside you, you may still have these feelings of emptiness inside. How can you escape this and where does the problem come from?
Studies indicate that roughly 20% of the general population suffers from chronic loneliness at any given time, and in one recent study of older adults, 62.5% of people who reported being lonely were married and living with their partner. (Psychology Today)
Loneliness can stem from anything and from nothing. Meaning you could have experienced being left behind in your childhood and these fears have continued onto your relationship. Or it may have come about for no reason at all. Either way, there are different things you can do to help wash away these uncomfortable feelings.
Start with Conversation
As always, we highly encourage speaking to your partner. If you’re feeling lonely in your relationship, chances are, your partner feels it too. Ask them how they’re feeling and try to identify why you’re feeling this way and how you can go about mending it.
It may not be something that you or your partner have done to initiate these feelings however, it’s always absolutely important to discuss it with your partner so that you’re both on the same page.
Do More Things Together
Sometimes, when you’ve been in a relationship for too long, you may have established your own time. For example, after dinner, you both probably go off and do your own thing and have ‘me time’ which is equally as important. However, you can change it up once in a while and do something together that doesn’t require any sort of technology. Things like going for a walk around the block is not only a great way to exercise but also exchange conversation.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone (Your House)
For the most part, an average week for you probably looks like this: work, home, work, home etc. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this however, when you’re stuck in a cycle like that, it can weigh heavily on your mental health as well as your physical health. It’s easy to isolate yourself from the world (whether you’re single or with a partner) by hiding out in your comfort zone – your house.
Every once in a while, you should treat yourself to a nice date or ‘solo date’ – gift yourself something nice like a fancy dinner, a great movie you’ve been wanting to watch for a while and your body will thank you for it.
Being lonely is difficult and challenging, however, it is something you can pull yourself out of. You just need to give yourself a chance to be happy.