What do you do when you feel lonely?

If you're feeling lonely, you can get your feel-good chemicals from spending time with friends, engaging with your community, and practicing self-care. Get your endorphins going by exercising (for example, this is a great time to try out a new dance class you've been considering). Your loneliness will convince you that you don't want to do this - if you let your body have its way, it will tell you to isolate yourself and indulge in ice cream. Don't listen to it! Seek out people and activities that bring you joy.

If you're feeling lonely, try developing a new routine that involves some type of mind, body, and spirit healing. Stick with this routine even if you don't feel like it. Listen or watch a positive message on hope, self-love, and healing for at least 20 minutes every day. Exercise and move your body with walking, yoga, Pilates, etc., for at least 30 minutes every day to release endorphins. Recognize your negative thoughts and replace them with mindfulness, which allows you to think about the now. Think about good things every day. Journal about sadness, worry, and fears every morning or evening as needed. Socialize with people who you like and who love you.

Setting up some regular weekly social time for myself helped with my loneliness. I started going to a weekly ultimate frisbee group and had a ton of fun playing with people and making new friends. After showing up for a few weeks consistently, I started hanging out with people outside of ultimate frisbee and felt like I was actually building a social circle. I think having some outdoor time built into my schedule also helped with boosting my mood and making me feel less lonely.

I moved recently and have been feeling lonely since I don't know anyone in the area. I thought about joining a recreational sports league or meetup group but it's not really my thing...has anyone had any success with that or have any other recs for making friends after a big move?