What to Do When You Are Depressed and Lonely

Are you wondering what to do when you are depressed and lonely? If so, there are some practical things that you can do that will help you through this dark period in your life. Of course, the first thing to do is to determine whether or not you are experiencing a more serious episode of clinical depression. Since millions of people every year have some form of clinical depression, this is important to access.

A simple test is to determine if you are plagued with constant insomnia and feelings of worthlessness or false guilt. Also, if you have lost interest in things that you used to enjoy and often think about suicide for a period of two weeks or more, you are most likely in clinical depression and should seek the help of a professional. But if you are generally dealing with feeling of depression and loneliness that are more common to everyone at least in certain periods of life, here's some practical tips about what you can do when you are depressed and lonely.

Do Something for Someone Else One of the most important things that will help you during periods when you may feel lonely and depressed, is to think about someone else rather than yourself. This may be hard to do when all you feel is how lonely you are, but this simple change in attitude can make a world of difference in your outlook on life.

Many people who become depressed and lonely are very introspective and fail to make an effort to step outside their own pain. Do a random act of kindness for someone. Maybe your neighbor is just home from the hospital and needs a meal. Or maybe a child is in need of new clothes. Perhaps your co-worker is short of cash and can't pay for lunch. Find someone who needs help and fill the need.

Don't only do it once, but make it a point to find someone once a day who needs some sort of kindness and determine to meet someone's need for 30 days in a row. You will be surprised at how much you will receive in return for little acts of kindness. You may even make a new friend and you will feel a sense of satisfaction that maybe you haven't felt in a long time.

Engage in a Brand New Hobby

Those who are lonely tend to shy away from putting themselves in situations that will actually help them not feel so lonely. Another practical way of getting through a period of loneliness or depression is to move yourself outside your daily routine or comfort zone. Choose a new hobby or something that you've always wanted to do but never made the effort to pursue.

A new activity can bring a breath of fresh air to your life. You not only will learn something new and interesting, but you will also of necessity be around new people. Common interests are one of the best ways to ignite new relationships.

You need not continue to feel lonely all the time with no remedy in sight. A few simple choices can actually make a big difference in your life if you add these two simple, practical suggestions to your daily or weekly routine when you wonder what to do when you are depressed and lonely.