What You Need to Know if You're Lonely This Valentine's Day

"Loneliness makes us feel pessimistic. It makes us misjudge our relationships. It makes us feel that people care less than they actually do

"Loneliness isn't like cigarettes—it doesn’t come with a warning on the package."

The American Psychological Association recently declared that loneliness is a bigger health epidemic than obesity and smoking combined. Because it doesn’t just impact our emotions, it impacts our health in an extraordinarily negative way.

How to Reboot Your Emotional Health

1. Guard against putting yourself down. Dr. Winch says self-esteem is like an emotional immune system that protects you from emotional pain and strengthens your emotional resilience. An effective way to heal self-esteem is to practice compassion for yourself. When you hear that inner voice telling you, you’re not worthy of friendship or a loving spouse or that you deserve to be treated without respect, imagine a close friend is feeling bad about herself and write a supportive email. Then read the note back as a note to yourself.

2. Disrupt negative thoughts with a healthy distraction. When you’re caught up in negativity and can’t stop replaying painful scenes in your head, interrupt the negative self-talk with a task that requires concentration. Do a challenging crossword puzzle, lose yourself in a complicated recipe, play solitaire or take a kickboxing class. Studies show that even two minutes of distraction can reduce the urge to focus on the negative.

3. Look for purpose in loss. There is always meaning in loss. It hurts to lose a close friend or relative but it may bring you closer to someone else in your life. Deriving purpose from the loss can promote recovery from it. It's challenging but try to imagine the changes you could make that will help you live a life more aligned with your values and purpose."

Read the full article on Psy

✨Takeaway: Loneliness can lead to distorted thinking and make us feel pessimistic, misjudge relationships, and assume that people don't care. Recognizing negative self-talk and psychological injuries is the first step to break out of negative cycles. Reaching out to others, even when feeling vulnerable, can improve emotional health.

✨Reflection: Do you tend to feel lonely around this time of the year?

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