Being social isolated and / or loneliness is more than just an inconvenience. It can result in depression, suicidal thoughts, changes in appetite, insomnia, and sleeping too much. It can affect self-esteem and it can make people feel hopeless. Fortunately, there is plenty a counselor can do to help patients dealing with these challenging emotions.
A closer look may show underlying causes
It’s possible that an underlying medical condition could be causing the loneliness. A common example is depression but other medial issues can also lead to these feelings. The first step of the counselor will be to determine if there’s an underlying cause that should be dealt with first.
Your treatment plan will be individualized
You can’t simply google “how to beat loneliness” because there is no single path toward recovery. Instead, your counselor will assess you and your unique needs to find the right way to handle it. They may help you in a number of ways, including:
- Helping you let go of inaccurate beliefs. Recent medical research has shown that when a person feels lonely, they can begin to see the world differently. They can begin to believe that everyone is rejecting them and that they’re unwanted. These feelings can be hard to let go of and can make it impossible for a person to move through other feelings of loneliness.
- Direct support may be required. Some people know exactly why they’re lonely. For example, they may have recently lost a spouse, a child’s parents may have just divorced, or they may have just moved to a new place where they don’t know anyway. In these cases, specific steps will be taken to deal with the specific issue causing the loneliness.
These are just a few examples of ways a person can move forward from loneliness and social isolation. Your counselor can provide the compassionate, experienced support you need to move forward. Thriveworks Forest Hills Counseling & Coaching looks forward to being the support system you need to find the help you deserve.
