It's never fun to come home to an empty house, sit on the couch, and get that horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach, the feeling of being alone. Loneliness is truly just a state of mind. I mean, we're never truly alone are we? There are around 7 billion people on this planet so to be alone is kind of an outrageous idea. So why do we feel this way if the world is so abundant with people? Sometimes we don't even have to be alone to feel lonely. We can be in a room crowded with people and still feel completely isolated. Loneliness, in my opinion, is one of the worst feelings for a person to experience. So here is some advice on how to combat feeling alone.

First, make sure that you aren't mistaking emptiness for loneliness. Feeling as if there is a hole in your life can be similar to feeling alone. If you think you might feel this way, try to discover something that can fill this void. Find an activity that you love doing, read books, watch funny comedies, whatever makes your spirit feel whole.

Try opening your eyes up to potential friends that are already around you. There are people around you every day that are also longing for new companionship. Look up from your phone at the coffee shop and say hi to someone. Take initiative and join a club at school with students who share the same passions as you.

Reach out to your friends and family and let them know how you feel. In today's society everyone is very busy and sometimes not completely in tune with their loved ones' feelings. You can't just expect people to know that you're feeling alone. This is obviously going to be a difficult conversation to have, but your close relationships will benefit from talking about it.

Speak to a professional. Sometimes the reason why you feel lonely is completely unknown and it might be serious enough to seek out a third party to talk to, such as a therapist. Therapy is nothing to be ashamed of and it doesn't make you weak. If anything you're stronger than others who are too afraid to receive help. Talking to someone who is completely neutral can help immensely when dealing with problems.

Lastly, do not think that you are lonely because no one wants to be around you. Thinking this way can turn feeling lonely into depression. Some people think that you need a million friends to feel whole, but it's really about quality not quantity. Sometimes it may be hard to see, but there are a ton of people who would love to be around you. Don't stop trying and stay hopeful, you deserve to feel whole.