There may come a time when someone with a mental illness — like depression, anxiety, or PTSD — needs your help. While mental health conditions require proper treatment from a mental health professional like a counselor or psychiatrist, you can provide help in the form of comfort, reassurance, and support. Are…
I entered my first real relationship in the 7th grade (I know—young) and stayed in this relationship until my freshman year of college. I’ll do the math for you: this relationship took up roughly six years of my life. In other words, at the age of 18, I had spent…
Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, I’m Rebecca Fry and I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor at Thriveworks. I was just popping on to say, are you lonely yet? In the light of this COVID-19 scare, a lot of us have been told to isolate, to withdraw, to…
Depression has a way of making you feel all alone in the world, disconnected from the rest of humanity; fortunately, however, you can object to and resolve these feelings. The first matter of business is to understand the relationship between loneliness and depression: loneliness in depression isn’t usually due to…
Abandonment issues can leave you feeling completely hopeless and alone in this world—but you can take action and pull out of this low level of despair. First, you must take a good, long look at what happened. You can’t ignore or avoid what happened or those difficult feelings that resulted…
Loneliness is something most of us would like to avoid if we could. But there are times where life truly gives us sour lemons after having a rough experience: breakups. Some breakups are mutual, others might end in disagreement, but one commonality that is likely to occur is loneliness. Feeling…
Moving to a new, unfamiliar place can lead to your feeling lonely—but you can find back against these feelings and turn it into a positive experience. It’s important to get connected to your new home however you can: check out organizations and groups around you, or consider volunteering. Stay connected…
We all spend time alone and are given the same choice: to enjoy our solitude or to loathe this time to ourselves. In choosing the former route, bask in your favorite qualities and enjoy beloved activities—be kind to yourself. If you struggle to enjoy your solitude, you should first recognize…
I had a picture-perfect childhood: fit with loving parents, a nice house, a big yard, and plenty of toys. My only concerns at the time were going to school and playing with my Barbies; running off to soccer practice and riding my scooter; bugging my brother and watching Dragon Tales….
A wise woman once said: “Loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself.” This short poem, written by Rupi Kaur in her book Milk and Honey, is a summation of what loneliness means and—perhaps more importantly—what its remedy is: caring for oneself. Another wise woman Dr. Fran…
Humans are social creatures. Growing up, you probably never wanted to sit alone in the lunchroom or go to the school dance without a date. However, going solo, living alone, and being independent doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. Spending time alone has been shown to offer benefits like…
Imagine it’s your first week at a new university. Up until this point you were living off of excitement to embark on this new journey and see where it takes you. But it’s no longer in the distant future, it’s now—and you’re overtaken by a new range of emotions: anxiety,…
