How to Deal With That Feeling of Emptiness

How to deal with that feeling of emptiness, of being alone in life? This is a challenging question. We are not medical professionals or therapists. So, please consult on. This is just advice. However, all of the information in this article calls upon the sources below, which offer some helpful tips if you’re thinking, I feel empty inside.

Today we’re going to learn about how to deal with that feeling of emptiness, now let’s begin.

 1. Acknowledge your problem

If you’re struggling with a gap, denial is the last place you want to be. Many people make the mistake of ignoring their problems for too long. They pretend their void doesn’t exist, hoping the issue will magically fix itself, but you know it won’t.

Your issue might get worse until it starts taking over your life, so what should you do instead?

Psych central explains in a 20-18 article that; acknowledging your problem is a great place to start. It’s one of the most effective ways to slowly come to terms with your emptiness, but how do you positively acknowledge your problem?

One approach is to hone in on what changed in your life. You might ask yourself, am I feeling unsatisfied with my career? Did a loved one pass away recently? Am I lonely after a breakup?. All of these changes can create powerful feelings of emptiness. So it’s essential to know precisely where your vacuum comes from.

This strategy focuses on bringing those specific feelings to the surface. Many people instinctively bury them deep down, but those buried emotions still affect your mood and your attitude. That’s why this approach encourages people to acknowledge those negative emotions to stop denying or feeling guilty for their emptiness.

Instead, psych central recommends showing your self-compassion, stop trying to change your feelings, and start forgiving yourself for having them. This is because feeling empty is hard, no matter who you are.

2. The power of Journaling

Journaling can be a powerful form of self-reflection. Not only does your Journal offer a place to think about your daily life quietly, but it also allows you to explore your own emotions.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, if you’re struggling with emptiness, that emotional exploration can work wonders. It can help you understand your feelings and gradually put those negative emotions behind you.

The one big problem with Journaling is its reputation. Most people simply don’t understand what Journaling does or why it’s helpful. You might have this vision in your head; of a teenager writing love notes in their diary to you, Journaling might feel childish or like a waste of time, but the truth is your Journal can be a fantastic place to work through your emotions.

You can use it to blow off steam, work through stress, or just get a better understanding of yourself. In other words, Journaling can be a severe therapeutic or light-hearted as you want it to be. Don’t shy away from the experience just because you think it’s not for you.

So, how exactly does Journaling help you deal with emptiness? A 2011 study from the Journal of creativity and mental health explains that Journaling or any kind of expressive writing develops self-awareness, personal growth, and emotional intelligence.

A slightly older study published in the same Journal in 2009, describes how expressive writing helps you understand your emotions. This is because it turns those abstract emotions into something tangible, which makes them so much easier to wrap your head around.

When your emotions feel real, you start asking awkward questions. You start challenging your assumptions, and over time, you learn more about your shortcomings. There are quite a few more studies that describe just how effective Journaling can be. It can help with everything from loneliness to work-related stress.

 3. Examine your relationships

Why do outgoing and famous people still struggle with emptiness? How can someone like a celebrity feel empty when friends and fans surround them? When it comes to relationships, quality Trump’s quantity every single time.

Many socialites try to deal with their emptiness by making more and more friends and by connecting with as many people as they can, but the problem is those connections never move past the surface. One or two deep, meaningful friendships can outweigh hundreds of shallow ones.

In other words, you should take the time to bond with the people in your life. You should get to know them and let them get to know you.  Those personal bonds are going to tell you one of two things. Either you’ll find people you can genuinely trust people, you can communicate and connect with on a deeper level, or you’ll realize that you’re filling your life with the wrong kinds of people.

You might be surrounded by friends who are toxic or who just don’t care about you. For you, those bad relationships can make you feel lonely, trapped, and unhappy.

Also read: 12 Warning Signs of a Toxic Relationship

4. Avoid social media

Vacuum pushes many people toward social media. You might rely on the likes and compliments from these online communities to boost your ego to make you feel like you’re talented or that you matter. Those things are right; you are essential, and you do matter, but social media isn’t the right place to deal with your emptiness.

Why? Well, because virtual attention disappears almost instantly, it might make you feel good in a moment, but it’s just a distraction and those negative emotions. Those feelings of emptiness are going to come back even stronger than before.

A 20-18 study from the University of Pennsylvania investigated the mental impact of popular social media platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. It turns out the more time participants spent on social media, the more lonely they felt their general well-being suffered. Their self-esteem diminished, and in some cases, their self-worth disappeared entirely. If you’re feeling empty social media is not the answer. Yeah, I know it feels good to see people like your photos and comment on your posts, but overusing social media can make you feel empty over time.

To move past your emptiness, spend less time online, and more time in the present.

Also read: How Social Media Is Destroying Our Brains

5. Close your wallet much like social media

Shopping is another trap that can make you feel even emptier. The media makes all kinds of promises to fill that void in your life. Every day we see commercials that advertise adventurous, happy, and exciting lifestyles. We watch actors live, the experiences we wish we were living, and deep down, we become convinced that some expensive product is the only thing standing in our way. So, what do we do?

We open our wallets, and we shell out some cash, only to realize we’re no better off than we were before. The simple truth is no high tech phone, expensive sports car, or advanced game system is going to make your empty feelings go away.No matter how much money you spend, you can’t buy things like fulfillment, meaning or purpose in life.

These are priceless emotions that you have to discover all on your own. So, instead of scouring the internet for your next big purchase, search for something bigger inside yourself because there are plenty of fulfilling things you can do without spending a dime.

6. Alone time

When they’re feeling empty, many people turn to the world around them. They try to spend more time with friends and family. They experiment with all kinds of new activities, hoping one of them will fill that void or give their life some exciting new direction but is that really how you deal with emptiness?

According to psych central, a better answer is to do the opposite. Set aside more time to spend by yourself, no matter where your emptiness comes from. Alone time can help you overcome those negative emotions because it enables you to get in touch with your thoughts. That’s the problem with continually socializing or trying new activities every five seconds. You’re filling up all the space in your life. This means you spend less time thinking about yourself.

In a sense, you’re using the distractions to run away from your emptiness, but you can’t run away forever. That’s why alone time is so important. It gives you room to digest your thoughts and make the kind of mental and emotional changes that chip away at your emptiness.  There is a right and a wrong way to be alone.

Many people spend their alone time thinking about their negativity; they sit alone in the dark, feeling bored and aimless. This kind of solitude will leave you feeling even emptier than you did before.

Instead, psych central recommends filling your alone time with motivational activities like self-reflection and setting new goals for your future. These habits focus on solving your emptiness and not just running away from it. That way, you rediscover a sense of purpose in your life and embark on a new and exciting journey.

7. Reinvent your routine

Routines can be an effective way to build motivation and self-discipline, but sometimes if you do the same method every day, it can make you feel empty.  As if you’ve lost that spark that wakes you up in the morning. You may feel like you’re just going through the motions instead of feeling genuinely passionate about your work. So, if this sounds familiar, it might be time to change your routine.

Okay, let’s say you want to light a fire under yourself in the morning; you might add a workout regimen after you wake up or figure out an exciting way to inspire yourself on your way to work. Even those small adjustments can inject a bit of novelty back into your life.  That novelty makes things more fun and exciting.

Sources:

When You Feel Empty: What It Means and What to Do

Journaling for Mental Health

The Therapeutic Use of Journaling With Adolescents

Kids’ club letters: Narrative tools for stimulating process and dialogue in therapy groups for children and adolescents

Issues in Therapy – Emptiness

Manipulative marketing: persuasion and manipulation of the consumer through advertising

Social media use increases depression and loneliness, study finds