Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Create an Activity for Yourself
• Method 2 of 3: Spend Time with Others
• Method 3 of 3: Learn to fall asleep alone
• Tips
• Warnings

The long and dark hours of the night can be especially lonely for those who have to fall asleep on their own or live alone. Loneliness at night can touch anyone, generate feelings of sadness or fear. It is important for a person to realize that he feels loneliness, but there is absolutely no need to put up with it and suffer every night. This article explores several ways to make the night a more enjoyable and rewarding time of day.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Create an Activity for Yourself

1. 1 Keep moving. There are many ways to stay active and forget about loneliness: you can do physical activity, dance to your favorite music, jump in bed, or learn karate from videos on YouTube.
   • During exercise, endorphins are released, which can improve mood and help relieve feelings of loneliness. Most importantly, don't exercise right before bed, or your body and brain will have a hard time relaxing and getting ready for sleep. For some people, exercise in the evening is a reason to go to bed a little later, but do not forget to take care of your health.
   • Do something fun and funny, like put on good music and dance in your underwear. If you start laughing, your mood will improve, and you will forget about the feeling of loneliness!
2. 2 Find inspiration. Very often at night, the most negative emotions come out, especially in moments of loneliness. You can counteract these emotions by thinking positively and alleviating your loneliness.
   • Search Pinterest or Google for inspirational quotes to use as your smartphone screensaver or social media profile picture. Read the autobiography of a successful person you admire. You can also watch inspiring or educational broadcasts.
3. 3 Take yourself to another world. Read a good book, watch your favorite movie, TV series, or surf the internet. Doing so will switch your brain to a different channel and distract attention from feeling lonely. And then go to bed as soon as you feel sleepy.
4. 4 Drive or walk. Sometimes it is best to just leave the house (if the weather is favorable). Take a break and change the environment to forget about loneliness. Perhaps at night you will meet a familiar person with whom you can talk, or stumble upon something interesting while walking.
   • Explore unknown territory. For example, you can go to an unfamiliar part of the city or take a walk to a nearby area that you usually ignore. The main thing is to make sure that such an event is safe. The new experience will allow you to distract yourself and drown out the feeling of loneliness.
5. 5 Educate yourself. It is believed that through reading it is possible to get rid of the feeling of loneliness. The more you learn about loneliness and the prevalence of this phenomenon, the less you will feel it. Any, even the most difficult and painful feeling, you will learn to endure much easier thanks to the realization that you are not alone.
   • Find articles online or borrow a book from the library. Keep sources handy to study as your sadness escalates. You can always reread your favorite motivational quotes to cheer up in a moment of loneliness. This topic is covered in depth in a practical guide by Emily White. Loneliness: how to come to terms with it.
6. 6 Embrace loneliness. Understand that you are in good company. You don't need to surround yourself with other people to do what you love and enjoy life. It is important for a person to be able not only to communicate with others, but also to enjoy loneliness. The time spent alone is of great value. If you learn to enjoy loneliness and your own company, then you will solve the problem once and for all.
   • If you are feeling lonely, then relax and close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing and try to feel every part of your body. Experience the ultimate level of awareness.
   • Try repeating the following words of self-compassion out loud to remember that you are not alone in your feelings of loneliness, and to show gentleness: Now is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. You need to show kindness to yourself. You need to show compassion, because I need it.
   • The latter method is not suitable for everyone. Some people find it difficult to relax when they have to focus on themselves in lonely conditions, so they prefer outside distractions. This desire is absolutely natural and normal.

Method 2 of 3: Spend Time with Others

1. 1 Communicate. Find someone you can talk to at any time of the day or night, even at 02:30 AM. This could be your significant other, brother, sister, parents, or best friend. Get up and quietly wake up your loved one or call the person who wants to talk to you. You can also chat with your neighbor on the staircase. Just talk if you can.
   • If it’s not too late, call the person who will be happy to hear from you (for example, your grandmother or aunt). So you will not only feel better, but also improve the mood of your loved ones, which cannot but inspire!
   • If the feeling of loneliness has worsened in the middle of the night, when it's too late to call or visit, then you can always write an email to someone you care about. The modern world has accustomed us to instant answers, but writing to your significant other is a great way to correctly formulate your ideas and thoughts, which will be read in due time.
   • You can also invite people over to watch a movie together, have dinner, or just chat. Invite a close friend or relative for an overnight stay; sometimes it is enough just to know that someone is also sleeping in the next room.
2. 2 Leave the house. A good way to avoid loneliness at night is to get out and walk just before bed. You don't have to stay outside until sunrise. It is enough to go to the cinema with friends, have a late dinner with a classmate, or sit in a cafe with your employees.
   • In moments of sadness and depression, a person usually does not want to leave the house, but it is at such moments that you need to overcome yourself. And when you return home, it’s time to go to bed and you will have no time to think about your loneliness.
   • If you don't feel like going out at all, try this: don't plan on taking up the whole evening and tell your friend that you only have time for one cup (or one dessert) and then you need to come back. Then, you will most likely notice that you are feeling better than expected and you don't have to rush home.
3. 3 Sign up for classes or come up with a hobby. Sign up for an evening course to avoid loneliness and create a sense of order. You will hardly find classes that take place after midnight, but in the evening there is always something to do: yoga, Taijiquan, knitting or painting.
   • You can always find like-minded people on social networks and find out about all the events. You may be able to meet people who also suffer from loneliness at night. You can chat online, talk on the phone or Skype, and fight loneliness together.
4. 4 Help others. In moments of sadness, we often spend all our attention and energy on ourselves, which only reinforces the negativity. If we direct our attention outward, then we can temporarily forget about loneliness and do good deeds.
   • Offer to volunteer at your local homeless shelter, animal shelter, or other underprivileged support center. Time will fly by, and you will help wonderful animals or do other merciful deeds.
   • Visit elderly or sick relatives in a nursing home or hospital. If your relatives are in the hospital, then give them the joy of your visit. In addition, life will feel less bleak again if you realize that you are alive and well, and helping others will improve your mood.

Method 3 of 3: Learn to fall asleep alone

1. 1 Create a consistent sleep pattern. Going to bed and waking up at about the same time each day will help you fall asleep faster and reduce the stress of insomnia. A new sleep pattern usually takes several weeks to develop, so don't worry if you don't get it right.
   • Going to bed earlier when there is still noise around you will make you feel less lonely.If you live alone, the sounds from the street and the noise from neighboring apartments will give you a sense of comfort and tranquility.
2. 2 Relax before bed. Relaxing a little before bed is recommended. Stop watching TV and using your smartphone at least 20 minutes before bed so your brain starts to go into night mode.
   • You can also relax before bed through meditation, breathing exercises, visualization, or progressive muscle relaxation. Read a book or magazine in low light, do a crossword puzzle, or listen to calm music.
3. 3 Don't force yourself to sleep if you cannot sleep. If you specifically force yourself to fall asleep, then you can only increase the anxiety and continue to be awake. In this case, it is recommended to get out of bed, go to another room and devote some time to a relaxing activity. After a while, you will feel that the tension is gone and you are ready to go back to bed.
4. 4 Don't forget about the light. A person sleeps better at night if he has spent enough time in the sunlight during the day. It is also a good idea to limit nighttime lighting in the bedroom, as the lights on will only prevent you from falling asleep.
   • If you don't have blackout curtains (which really block out all outside light), you can buy a special sleep mask. Such an accessory costs very little and is sold in any pharmacy.
5. 5 Don't take a nap during the day. Avoiding naps will make you tired in the evening and can fall asleep faster (so you won't have time to think about loneliness and depression).
6. 6 Use background noise in your bedroom. If desired, you can always turn on extraneous or white noise. Many people love the sounds of nature - the sound of a waterfall or a tropical rainstorm.
   • Nature sounds can be found on dedicated sites or through apps for tablets, smartphones, or desktop computers.
   • If you sleep alone and suffer from loneliness, you can turn on the TV and turn down the volume. Quiet voices sound soothing. If possible, turn the screen to the side so that no light shines on you. Light in the bedroom negatively affects the ability to fall asleep quickly.

Tips

• A person may be alone and not feel lonely, and in many cases we even want to be alone to read a book, take a nap or watch our favorite TV series. In contrast, the feeling of loneliness comes when you are alone and upset about this fact. Awareness and perception of the situation plays a key role.
• Feelings of loneliness can cause fullness, change in blood pressure (up to 30 units), and also cause insomnia, which is why it is so important to solve the problem before the feeling of loneliness becomes unbearable.
• According to statistics, from 10 to 25% of Russian residents feel a sense of loneliness.
• Sometimes a person can feel lonely even when they are in the company of people. Everyone has periods of ups and downs. Don't escalate the situation and be kind to yourself!
• Read a good book, watch one of your favorite movies or comedy series.
• Get a cat or dog to relieve feelings of loneliness.
• Remember, you may now feel intense sadness and loneliness due to the lack of company, but after a few months or much later, such moments will turn into memories, because they are real and without pretense. You don't have to fight them. These feelings are completely normal.

Warnings

• Do not allow yourself to become deeply lonely, or you may experience depression and feelings of helplessness, which will only make the situation worse. If you are struggling to overcome depression or helplessness, seek help from your local doctor or psychotherapist.