Gretchen Lawson: Many people feel loneliness. Loneliness is actually on the rise right now in our society, and there are many reasons that we can feel lonely. It is normal and natural to have times that we feel lonely, especially in seasons where there's been a change in our life. If we've changed jobs or moved to a different city, we can have periods of feeling lonely.

Gretchen Lawson: Sometimes we can even have thoughts like, "I don't have any friends," "I'm never going to make any friends," or "I'm always going to be alone." It's really important if you have those thoughts to talk back to those thoughts, to remind yourself that you've just changed jobs and it might take time to make friends, or you've just moved to a new city, and it will take time to meet your neighbors.

Gretchen Lawson: It's also really important to remember that there are things you can do if you're feeling lonely, like walk outside and talk to your neighbors. Introduce yourself. You can start to talk about who you are, maybe tell your story, invite others into who you are. Really pursue emotionally connecting with other people in the right time. There is hope that you won't always feel lonely.

For more answers to your questions on loneliness, watch these videos:

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Why do I feel lonely even though I’m around people all the time?

Loneliness – Why is community so important?

Need someone to talk to about loneliness? TheHopeLine offers free confidential live chat with a HopeCoach to help you with forgiving someone. We are here to listen and support you without judgment.