Panache

Loneliness and Depression have a thin line. As the term is coined casually in society, you may think that you are feeling depressed whenever you feel low on energy or not satisfied with your current life.

But that may not be the case at all. There are times when slight changes in your life can change it for the better dramatically. These changes could be the addition of a few friends.

Below are some signs to let you know that you might not be depressed but lonely. How many stand true for you? Let us know in the comments.

You scroll but don’t feel socially fulfilled.

We are living through a time when we consider social media our true friend. Even though we hang out with friends, we use our phones more than we interact with them.

This has led to the shrinkage of your social circle to your screens. But no matter how much you scroll, you never feel socially satisfied. You already know that fact that this would not fulfill your social requirement.

But you find getting out and interacting with your friends extremely exhausting. Hence, you are stuck in a toxic circle where you can’t find meaningful connections through digital means. But you burn every last brain cell of yours to it. You don’t have enough energy to invest in meaningful connections.

Also read: How to plan your day to avoid doom scrolling?

You crave friends but don’t have any.

You don’t remember the last time you attended an event for social interactions. Hence, you seek that connection on Facebook, Reddit, dating apps, or even Reddit. You try to check your astrological charts to see if you can have friends, but you are stuck and can’t find any relevant relations to have.

This is a big sign that you crave genuine connections. You feel low about the fact that you don’t have any friends. It can severely affect your self-esteem and ideas about your place in society.

But you don’t know how to get out of this rut. So, the only way you are left with is to find some connections through digital media. You join the relevant groups, and you interact with people, but it is not long-lasting.

You are more or less like the character from David Fincher’s movie Fight Club. In the movie, the protagonist joins clubs only to interact with people but can’t connect with them emotionally.

You want to talk to someone but can’t find anyone.

Social media has normalized the culture that you only need a few friends throughout your life. But that is not true. Sometimes, you need different friends through different phases of your life. Other times, you need different friends to understand different sides of your personality.

So, it is possible that you may have people around you, like your work buddies and acquaintances, but you can’t find anyone to talk to. Your boss only gives you certain goals, and your colleagues or team mates want you to cooperate with them.

So, you feel everyone wants something out of you. This realization pushes you into loneliness. And your trust issues restrict you from interacting with anyone. At times, you think of sharing something, but you don’t. And that leads to further loneliness.

Also read: 10 signs you are touch deprived.

You don’t feel any connection with your friends.

How many times has it happened that you are sitting in your friend circle, but you don’t know what to say? You either don’t feel comfortable around them or don’t know what to share with them about you.

There are times when you think that they belong to a different world than you. And you don’t fit in that world anymore. This feeling that you ignore in the moment may give you FOMO later.

You may feel left out, emotionally ignored, or at times, you think that the world has moved on while you are lagging. You may generalize this feeling by saying that you got depressed after meeting them or did not feel good after the meet and greet.

But in truth, you need like-minded buddies to whom you feel connected. You feel that you are not only comfortable with them. But you will never be judged by them for who you truly are.

Also read: How does online dating affect your mental health?

You anticipate messages, calls, and notifications.

You don’t check your phone just to scroll anymore, but you are waiting for the next message in your group. You wait for the reply. You were waiting for the validation from everyone when you sent that meme 2 hours ago. This satisfies your need to be social. This gives you enough social validation to go through the day.

Since you are dependent on external validation, it may or may not come. And the more you get, the more you will crave it. It is not a healthy way to cope with loneliness in any shape or form. You may think that validation may suffice your social needs, but it can barely scratch the surface of that need.

It is better to put your gadgets aside and concentrate on real connections that you can build in real-time. Like you, they are also craving similar connections, and you may never know you can develop an unbreakable bond with them.

You feel misunderstood.

How many times has it happened to you that you express yourself in the best way possible? But people around you take a different meaning out of your words. They either make a joke of your expression or you. Soon after, your image changes in their eyes.

In this way, you feel mostly misunderstood by the people. You know they don’t know you. So, you stop opening up and expressing yourselves.          

But then again, you realize you need your social circle and their validation. So, you become who they like and start saying and acting like what they would prefer. You start wearing a mask and can’t be your true self anymore.

It is not only good for your confidence, but you will never feel satisfied by having such interactions.

You are motivated to do things but can’t find the right people.

You stay awake till 2 am, and ideas come to you. What if you want to help homeless people? You want to go trekking and explore the Himalayas. You saw that ad of a meditation retreat in the afternoon, and you want to visit it.

You have all these ideas, but you can’t follow through them because you don’t have a good companion to do it. Even though you get excited about those ideas. The excitement fizzles out sooner than it started because, you know, no one will accompany you.

You may not have those friends with you. They may be busy while your schedule is open. They may not be interested in the same venture as you. All of this can make you feel dull and disinterested in life.

Later, you may think you wanted to pursue all these ideas but could not because you didn’t have anyone to go with you. This will make you regretful, sad, and unfulfilled. That further leads to feeling depressed. But it can be solved only if you have supportive friends.

You practice self-care, but it’s not fulfilling.

You have started journaling and understanding your deep thoughts. Soon, you will start being more mindful of your emotions and actions. You have gone through a rigorous detox, and your attention span has also improved lately. You have been the kind of person who has self-care at the top of your priority list.

However, you still have that void in you. Sometimes, your chest is heavy, and you don’t know how. You have thoughts that bring your energy down, and you think you are on the brink of depression.

But you need to give your void a second thought. No matter how much you give attention to yourself, you still need a social circle to live a healthy and fulfilled life. Like every being on this planet, you need a genuine connection to live a fulfilling life.

And most importantly, you can’t replace it with anything else.

Also read: 7 types of rests that lead to complete wellness.

Your routine has not been affected.

You may confuse loneliness with depression a lot of times. To common eyes, they might seem similar. But if you look closely, you will see the difference. Also, loneliness is a factor that can play a huge role in depression. But it cannot be depression.

One way to differentiate between the two is to notice that there is not much change in your routine. You have enough energy to go through your day. You do your work efficiently because you love your work. You may not feel fulfilled because you have no one to share your happiness with.

However, do not consider yourself depressed if the rest of the day goes fine, but you feel alone at the end of the day. You may pursue all the things you love doing, but you may not feel the real happiness of it.

Try to connect with people who are happy through your happiness, and that may change your feelings and emotions.

Also read: Morning routines are overrated. Here’s what you should do.

Your sadness lasts for a specific time.

No, I am not talking about bipolar disorder, where happiness and sadness are cyclical. I am also not talking about when you do not have the energy to do anything. (It can be a dopamine deficiency.) I am talking about when you feel happy hanging out with your friends.

But when you are left alone and you need to be by yourself, you become sad and depressed. You might be the type of personality that gets its energy after hanging out with multiple people.

Therefore, you need a meaningful social circle to go through your life. It is not an option for you but a necessity. In that case, your loneliness may destroy you.

Conclusion

The above-mentioned symptoms are just a few signs that it may not be depression. But if you add some meaningful connections to your life, that would be more than enough to live a more fulfilling life.

This article is not written for diagnosing purposes. If you need to consult a registered medical practitioner, you can book an appointment and meet your nearest therapist or doctor for a better diagnosis.

Also read: How to boost dopamine naturally?

Also read: 10 main causes of depression.