Most parents don’t get a moment to themselves, especially when they have young kids. The connection between them can become a deep attachment that is hard to sever and while they may never be alone, regardless, they certainly miss the closeness of their spouse or partner at times.
Loneliness is an experience common to all of us. As human beings we are designed to crave a connection with one another, and while today’s modern society has a plethora of ways in which we can connect online, nothing is quite as fulfilling as a true genuine interaction with another person on a face-to-face level. If your friend seems lonely or feels like they have nobody to rely on, try attending local events that happen in your area, or start small by suggesting something as simple as coffee (if you know them well enough). It’s important for us to make time for our friends and family both in person and virtually so as to keep our relationships strong – so lend them a virtual ear if you don’t think they’re comfortable sharing their feelings in real life!
Let Them Know You Can Help
Many shy people don’t like to talk with others or ask for help because they are uncomfortable or their confidence is on the low side. Both introverts and extroverts experience social anxiety at times because of this, but there is a lot you can do to embrace yourself and your qualities rather than battling them.
If you suspect that a friend is feeling under the weather, let them know that maybe you could help them out. Call or text them daily to ask how things are going, rather than waiting for them to get in touch with you. Having a reliable person on hand will help to alleviate their loneliness. Adopting this approach can show your friends just how much they mean to you and make them feel appreciated.
Offer to Help with the Kids
One of the primary reasons a parent may feel lonely is that they have so many responsibilities; as such, parents don’t really get much time to socialize with others or take care of themselves. If you are comfortable taking care of children (and if parents trust you), offering to watch their kids for the day (or even for a couple hours) can help give them the opportunity to do something either on their own or with another trusted parent. It gives them time to unwind and even experience some much-needed kid-free quality time.
Give Them Something to Do
Group activities like spending time with friends on a beach or in the woods can be really good remedies for loneliness, and they also help to keep your friends from giving themselves too much time to feel isolated by having them focus on something else (like a camping trip or social event that may bring them together with other people who are in the same boat). Social events like these can bring people closer together and even create new lifelong friendships!
Obviously, you want to choose an activity or activities that you and your friends enjoy. To make things even more exciting, suggest something you’ve never done before. The best kind of activity in this case is one that reoccurs often enough so as not to become boring. Consider a weekly acting class or a monthly fishing trip.
It’s hard to keep yourself from feeling lonely when you sacrifice time with those who mean the most to you, but one way that could help would be by committing to daily social activities that have nothing to do with your business. This is a good practice for other reasons though! By creating a schedule for these activities, it becomes much easier for our parents to look forward to spending time with people and will also act as an anchor for them when they begin feeling isolated.
If you can’t or don’t want to come up with an activity involving the whole family, helping your (parent) friend find the perfect babysitter is a thoughtful gesture. What it means is that everyone will have more fun because someone else will be watching the kids whilst everyone goes on their merry way and this just saves everyone time and hassle!
The best remedy for a worried parent is a strong support network, so be sure to step in and lend a hand when you notice that a friend or family member is feeling down. At the same time, it’s also important to remember that being a new parent is exhausting! The last thing you want to do is overwhelm these parents with too much contact. Sometimes people just need time to themselves without any distractions from other people since that kind of demand can be draining sometimes on non-parenting adults too.
Don’t forget that being a caring friend is the best thing you can do for someone who’s lonely. If you were in their position, chances are they’d try to make your feel just as at home (after all, you start to feel more comfortable around people when you hang out with them often enough).
