Healing Practices That Can Help Ease Loneliness
If you’re feeling lonely, you’re not alone. A 2018 survey by the Economist and the Kaiser Family Foundation published in Forbes revealed that more than two in ten people in the US and the UK feel lonely, left out, isolated, or lack companionship. It is also a fear that completely rankles millennials. 42% of millennial women say they are more afraid of loneliness than a cancer diagnosis, which is the highest share of any generation.
So how do you handle loneliness?
Well, it requires more than just seeking a company or joining a class to gain a community.
The root of loneliness is not being able to find a safe place, a home within ourselves. Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh says this home is, “…within the self, it is an island, a place inside ourselves where we must return to in order to be happy.”
Healing Practices That Can Help Ease Loneliness
Healing practices are based on the foundation that every difficult situation in your life that triggers you is simply mirroring a deep-rooted unresolved pain within you. These situations, including feeling lonely, show up as an opportunity for you to resolve any unhealed emotions from your past. Here are two simple healing practices that can help you connect with your inner-being.
1. Practicing Self-Compassion
When you offer yourself compassion, you allow yourself to feel all your emotions. This self-acceptance is the basis of healing. Bestselling wellness guru Deepak Chopra suggests having a kind-to-yourself to-do list like smiling at yourself in the mirror, letting others compliment you, valuing yourself for who you are, and standing up for yourself.
2. Finding Peace in Meditation
Meditation is one of the most powerful practices to go inward and experience your pure being. When you meditate regularly, you are able to gain clarity about yourself and your environment. This helps you make healthy choices and decisions. For newbies, meditation may be tough or boring. Yesenia Chavan, in her book ‘Meditation for Beginners’, writes, “Meditation is simply a skill you need to develop. It’s like riding a bike. Yes, you fall at first but eventually, your ability to meditate becomes no problem and your meditation practice becomes the most enjoyable, most refreshing, and life-giving part of the day.”
A Simple Healing Practice That You Can Start Right Away
Here is a Simple + Powerful Technique that you can use based on Ho’oponopono, a popular Hawaiian healing technique that may be effective to start your healing journey.
Ho’oponopono Practice
Step 1: Get in touch with all the different emotions that you feel related to the issue.
Step 2: Close your eyes. Imagine your reflection in front of you.
(You can also choose to stand in front of a mirror and stare deep into your eyes with undivided attention as you feel these emotions.)
Step 3: Repeat the following 4 phrases 21 times for 21 consecutive days.
1. I’m sorry
2. Please forgive me.
3. I love you.
4. Thank you.
Step 4: Breathe out any painful emotions that surface.
By doing this exercise, you not just heal but also integrate the unconscious unhealed parts of you that are causing this issue to manifest in your life. Through this process, sudden shifts will begin to occur in your life, without you having to force or control things. At a fundamental level, if you truly believe you created it, only then do you have the power to change it! This is the foundation for all reflective practices.
Lastly, it’s ok to allow yourself to feel lonely sometimes. But make sure that you don’t get engulfed in it. Seek medical help from a therapist or an experienced healer and begin your well-being journey today. Because life is too short, so seek the joy you deserve.
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Medical Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. If you think you are experiencing any medical condition or mental health issues, you must seek immediate medical attention from a doctor or other professional healthcare provider.
