Loneliness is something that many people have felt and experienced at one point in their lives. According to a survey by the office for national statistics 46% of adults surveyed reported feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes or always. London itself has also been ranked as one of the loneliest cities in the world therefore it isn’t a surprise that many people within London are looking to build connections and friendships to help with this feeling – groups just like LLGC were created for this exact purpose.
Here are some of LLGC founder Holly’s tips for helping with loneliness in London:
1. Join a group or community - There’s lots of groups and communities, both on and offline that you can get involved in. Whether this be a more general group for making friends like The London Lonely Girls Club, or something more specific like a local choir, 5 a side football team or book club.
2. Don’t just stay in watching Netflix - As much as staying in and watching Netflix is a whole lota fun, sometimes just getting out of the house and going somewhere that others are such as the gym, a theatre or nail salon can really brighten your mood and make you feel less lonely.
3. Be open and say yes - Opportunities to hang out, meet new people and make friends can appear at the most unexpected times, be open to these and say yes when they come up (even if you don’t feel like it) You never know what could happen, how much fun you could have or the friendships you could make!
4. Be ok with being on your own - Although hanging out with others and having good friends really helps with loneliness, being comfortable with being alone can also help you feel less lonely. Take yourself out for lunch or go on an afternoon adventure alone, be comfortable in the silence and in your own company.