WELLBEING

Tackling Loneliness Head On

Loneliness is common among secondary students and can be a challenging hurdle to overcome for those that suffer from it. A common misconception to tackling loneliness is to simply surround ourselves with people and assume the issue will go away. However, similar to us as individuals, loneliness is far more complex and diverse than that. This is due to the fact that loneliness is generally a by-product of other issues going on in our life at the time. Therefore, to truly move past loneliness we need to find the right connections which help complete our needs as an individual at both a social and emotional level.

All of this can seem overwhelming especially if you have felt alone for some time. As a result, listed below are a few initial steps to take to help tackle loneliness:

Determine the cause of your loneliness

Finding out the origin or cause of your loneliness helps bring clarity to the steps needed to move forward. Being such a complex issue loneliness can stem from anything including moving to a new school, breaking up with a partner, having a fight with a friend or the illness/death of a family member. Try and be honest about when your loneliness started to become a problem as it helps paint a clearer picture of your situation.

Talk to someone

The hardest part of tackling loneliness is to admit that it is affecting your wellbeing. However, that is what the welfare team at Doncaster Secondary are here for. We a are committed to supporting and are fully dedicated to helping you with your concern. Talking to someone helps to separate yourself from the problem and allows you to view things from a different perspective.

Exploring new avenues

Look closely at what you value and gain enjoyment from in life. The aim is then to align yourself with people who have similar interests as yourself. Sporting clubs, for example, are fantastic avenues to share a passion with like-minded people. Doncaster Secondary and Manningham Council run numerous programs which may also align with your interests. Some of the links below might be helpful for you if you are unsure of what is available.

Manningham Sports Competitions

http://manningham.ymca.org.au/Stadiums/Other-Sports-Programs/Pages/Sports-Competitions.aspx

Manningham Art Studios

https://www.manningham.vic.gov.au/manningham-art-studios

Tim Blacker

ACU Student Placement Counsellor