If you struggle with loneliness and are trying to quit tobacco, developing some strategies for coping will be very important. Loneliness can take many forms, and there are several ways to manage it. I will outline some options, but you likely know best what will work for you.
Loneliness is a common emotion. We can feel physically lonely when we are alone, but we can also feel emotional loneliness, even when we are with others.
Loneliness has more to do with how connected we feel to others than with how many people are physically close to us.
We could be in a busy train station or shopping center with many people near us or passing by and still feel lonely. By contrast, we could also be hiking in the woods at a state or national park entirely on our own and feel comforted by the thoughts of those with whom we feel connected.
During acute bouts of loneliness, it can be helpful to be in the physical presence of others, but that isn’t the only way to manage this feeling.
While we know that getting social support will be important when you are quitting tobacco, if you already find yourself struggling with feeling lonely, getting that support may seem like a difficult task.
Breaking out of loneliness takes effort, and to successfully achieve this, we will likely need to make ourselves vulnerable. It would be great if we could wish for things to be different, and it would happen, but it nearly always requires us to act and put ourselves out there into that uncomfortable space.
Here are some strategies:
How do you foster connections with others to manage loneliness and to get support in your quitting efforts?
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