Lana Del Rey sang it best in summertime sadness. Let’s start off by saying feeling single and lonely durning the summer is TOTALLY NORMAL! We’re not meant to be rays of sunshine all of the time, but what we can do is try different things and adjust our days so that we feel joy in the little things.
I find summer to be one of those seasons that can be either incredibly fun while single since there’s always something going on, or the opposite because there’s so much to do- you need someone to do it with right?
What to Do When You’re Single and Lonely
First off, remember you will not be single and lonely forever, everything is temporary and bound to change. So think of this as a season of opportunity to try new things and explore your life!
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the time? A new hobby maybe or simply going for more walks? With the longer days ahead this is the perfect time to jump into something different and see where it takes you.
Journal and write all of your feelings down. It’s amazing how cathartic that can be and it’s totally private to you, you don’t have to re-visit the pages in the future but knowing it’s out of your head and onto paper can really help get certain feelings off your chest.
I recently published an article on Share to Inspire Blog on Searching for Happiness When You’re Single, with 7 tips and reminders. Read that post if you like this one!
How to Not Feel Single and Lonely
Before we jump into 5 things to do when you’re feeling single and lonely this summer it’ important to remind yourself that these are suggestions, and mindset pays a huge part in how you feel. If you’re feeling lonely remember the feeling will pass, it’s a completely normal feeling, and certain little activities can help once repeated over and over. It’s safe to say you won’t be magically the happiest person on the planet after going through this list, but it will help you.
The more you do things the more likely they will become a habit which is where the change takes place.
RELATED: Being Single in Your 30’s: Challenging the Narrative
5 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Single and Lonely
1. Create a single summer bucket list
This could be a lot of fun to complete over the course of the summer, write down a list of things you want to do and when you’re feeling lonely check them off your list. This could be a reading list you want to get through, a number of walks you want to take, learning a new skill or hobby, basically anything- it’s totally custom to you.
Having a fun to-do list gives you something to do, and a sense of accomplishments when you check items off the list. When you have something to do it keeps you busy, so you don’t necessarily have time to feel lonely.
2. Start a new hobby or work on one you already love to do
The best time to start a hobby or work on one is when you have spare time, which also happens to be simultaneous with feeling lonely. Hobbies bring joy, creativity and inner fulfillment. These positive feelings can change loneliness into happiness, just because you’re single doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. There are other aspects of life that are fulfilling other than having a significant other.
Join our Reframe HER Facebook Group for single women where we discuss all things single life, it’s a place for empowerment and connection and is completely free. The goal is to reframe the ideal of single women.
3. Stop comparing and remember this too shall pass
One downside to the internet and social media is when we feel lonely it looks like everyone else is having a great time, have amazing lives and it makes us feel even more lonely. The thing about this is none of it is real, the internet and social media are a fraction of someone’s life and has no real reflection of how things are.
So turn off social media, stop comparing and remember this feeling will pass, your life will change, and things will get better. Even if it doesn’t seem like it right now. Nothing is static.
RELATED: 27 Powerful Self Love Affirmations for Single Women
4. Make plans with a friend or family member
This could be to just chat about how you feel, connect with someone, or make plans to do something. If you don’t want to bare all why not ask a friend or family member to grab a coffee or dinner? Having plans with someone really helps to feel human connection.
We often feel that when we’re single we need to fill up our time with a significant other. That’s not necessarily true, you have so many other people in your life to spend your time with. Sometimes it just takes opening up your eyes to realize that.
5. Sit with your feelings
Finally and probably most importantly is to sit in these feelings, recognize them, and know that they’re normal. A lot of self help suggestions often have actionable tips but sometimes if you’re single and lonely the best thing to do is recognize your feelings, sit with them, and work through them. It’s totally okay to have bad days and all of the tips above are to be taken into consideration with this final one. Don’t ignore or suppress your loneliness because oftentimes when you do that, the feelings can come out in another way.
Feel it, sit with it, acknowledge it, create a step to move forward and always remember that this too shall pass.
If you’re looking for a support group for single women join the Reframe HER group where we connect and discuss all things single life, the goal is to feel empowered and connected.
Other Posts You Might Like:
- 27 Powerful Self Love Affirmations for Single Women
- 19 Being Single Quotes to Make You Feel Inspired
- Are Single Women Happier? Questions Single Women Always Get Asked
