All Alone: Overcoming Loneliness Symptoms

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You know the feeling that you have when there’s no one around, and you start to question if anyone loves you?

You know, that heavy weight of insecurity of not knowing if anyone really even cares that you exist?

Sometimes it happens when you’re all by yourself, and sometimes it even happens when you’re surrounded by a bunch of people you know and love.

You don’t really know why you feel this way, but you do.

You just feel…alone.

Loneliness is sadness or fear that you feel when you’ve been forgotten or abandoned, or at least you feel like you’ve been forgotten or abandoned by a family member, a friend or even God.

Loneliness Symptoms

If you’re lonely, you may feel sad, empty or like you have no value or importance in life. You may be experiencing some of the following symptoms:

  • decrease in energy
  • feeling foggy or unable to focus
  • trouble sleeping
  • change in eating habits
  • feeling doubtful, hopelessness, or worthlessness
  • increase in sickness or feeling ill
  • body aches and pains
  • feeling anxious or restless
  • increase in spending and shopping
  • substance abuse
  • increase in media consumption

You’re NOT alone in feeling lonely.

Everyone has felt alone at some time or another, even if for just a second. Everyone has insecure thoughts about themselves and questions whether they’re cared about.

You feel this way because you’re meant to be with God, but Satan loves to pull you away from Him. Satan knows your weaknesses, and thrives on reminding you of them. But, you’re made for a greater world than this, you’re made for a world where God rules. This leaves you feeling out of place and let down while searching for your true value and worth.

No one likes to feel forgotten or abandoned. You want to be noticed and loved. You want someone who will be there for you–to laugh with, to cry with and to share your time with.

So the first thing you should know is that it’s OK to feel alone. It’s perfectly normal.

But you should also know that loneliness is JUST a feeling–one that can hurt you to your very core–but a feeling just the same.

Here’s the truth about loneliness symptoms.

You’re not alone… None of us are. And it’s great to know that you have a God who cares so deeply for you that He cares when you hurt, and He’ll never leave your side. Peter, one of Jesus disciples, tells you in Hebrews 13:5 that your God will never leave you nor abandon you.

But, often times you feel distant from God, or that He’s allowing things to happen to you that make you feel forgotten. Your feeling of abandonment or separation from God is based on your conditional heart, not His unconditional love. Regardless of your conditions, you need to realize that He is there, even if you aren’t allowing yourself to feel Him.

When you feel distant from God, your desire for Him grows stronger. Just like you want to hang out with friends who want you around, God yearns for you to want a relationship with Him. Even though God is always there, He hopes that you WANT Him in your life.

And how do you know that He’ll never leave you? 

When you decide to make Jesus the Lord of your life He becomes a part of you. The Holy Spirit lives in you. And when The Holy Spirit lives in you nothing can separate you from God’s love.

So what does this mean for you when you FEEL alone?

It means that when you have those feelings of loneliness, you need to remember nothing can separate you from God…not even your loneliness…because He is always with you. Everywhere you go it’s like you have a best friend who always has your back.

Sometimes you don’t like the advice that your best friend gives, but you know it’s for the best. The same is true of Jesus; He’s there, giving advice in every part of your life. He’s there to listen, to be a shoulder to cry on and to pick you up when you fall. When it feels like there’s no one else…there’s always Jesus. He is always with us.

Even though you know that Jesus is there for you, you still feel like you need some extra help dealing with your feelings of loneliness – think about someone in your life that you could talk with. School counselors, parents, pastors or youth ministers have great insight on God’s presence in your life. It may seem scary to talk with someone, but know that once you open up, you’ll feel ten times better than if you keep those feelings locked inside.

God wants you to be in relationships with other people, as much as He wants you to be in a relationship with Him. He created you to be in community, so when you feel alone, you NEED to talk to someone. If you avoid talking to other people about your struggle with loneliness, you’re actually dwelling on your own selfishness rather than seeking the fullness of God’s love. So find someone you care about, because they care about you too. They also want the best for your life.

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