Title: Loneliness: How to Cope During the Holiday Season
Headings: Loneliness and the Holidays
Loneliness and the Holidays
Dealing With Loneliness During the Holiday Season
Be Good to Yourself
Understand That You’re Not Alone
Rethink Your Expectations
Get Connected
Cultivate Gratitude
Give to Others
Examine Your Feelings
Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast
A Word From Verywell

Content: 2 ﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ Some people wish they could be with family, but can’t; others mourn the relationships with family that they wish they had or long for closer connections with friends. Similarly, some may wish for a supportive romantic relationship and find themselves feeling especially isolated during the holidays. 1 ﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿
While it may be uncomfortable to feel lonely, it’s also OK to feel this way. Talking to others who may share your feelings (either via the internet or in real life) can help you to feel less alone in your situation. Rethink Your Expectations
Part of why holidays feel more lonely for many people is that our society has high expectations for this time of year. The absence of a romantic partner or a close family seems magnified during this busy time when we’re all supposed to be going to parties, exchanging gifts, and enjoying jolly feelings with loved ones. One way to deal with the feelings of loneliness is to rethink your expectations. For example, realizing that it's just fine to take a good friend (instead of "the perfect date") to a holiday party, or that the imperfect love of a difficult family member still counts as love, has helped many people feel less lonely. It's also important to realize that few people’s lifestyles truly measure up to “movie standards” of perfect living, and in doing so, shift your focus to all the great things you do have in your life.