It’s often said that love conquers all, but what about loneliness? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are over 115 million unmarried people in the United States today — or roughly one out of every six people — and it’s estimated that around 20% of married couples live apart from each other. Even if you have someone special in your life, you may still feel lonely at times, particularly if your relationship isn’t as close as you hoped it would be. Are you lonely in love? Find out here.
5 Signs Your Relationship is Falling Apart
A healthy relationship is one that allows each person to be their best self. The more you try to change someone else, whether it’s by nagging or pleading or bribing, the less likely they are to want to spend time with you. It takes two fully functioning adults to share a life together; if your partner isn’t fully present, it may be time for you both to look in other directions. Here are some common signs that things aren’t right 1. You feel like you have to walk on eggshells around them: Your partner’s mood swings seem unpredictable and out of control. One minute, everything seems fine, and then suddenly you get hit with an emotional tidal wave of anger or sadness or frustration that leaves you feeling hopeless and confused. This can make your days feel like walking on eggshells as you try to avoid triggering these sudden shifts in mood—and often makes it hard for you to enjoy being around them because any little thing can set them off. If your relationship has become emotionally abusive, seek help from a professional immediately before things get worse!
They no longer respect your feelings: There’s a big difference between disagreeing with someone and not respecting their feelings, opinions, or boundaries. If your partner dismisses how you feel about something important to you (or even just tries to argue against it), but doesn’t bother listening carefully enough to understand why you feel that way, then they don’t respect who you are as a person.
They don't trust you: Trust is an essential part of every healthy relationship. Without trust, there's no foundation for intimacy--even if love exists between partners, without trust there will always be fear and insecurity lurking in the background..
They're too afraid to let you in: Even though everyone wants to be loved and accepted for who they are, we all have our flaws. If your partner shuts down when you try to talk about certain aspects of yourself, it could mean that they’re afraid of letting you see those parts of themselves that might make them vulnerable.
You don't feel safe expressing yourself: In order for a relationship to thrive, each person needs to feel safe expressing themselves honestly and openly with their partner.
Tips to Fight Loneliness as a Couple
Although it’s common to feel lonely from time to time, experiencing it chronically can put a serious strain on your relationship. Finding ways to cope with loneliness as a couple, however, can strengthen your bond. Here are five tips for managing loneliness in love. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends...
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)
It’s important to remember that being in a relationship doesn’t mean you won’t ever feel lonely again—and that’s okay! There will always be times when you miss having someone around or wish you had more quality time together. But by practicing self-care and communicating openly with your partner about how you're feeling, you can work through these feelings together instead of letting them tear apart your connection. The following tips will help keep loneliness from becoming an obstacle in your romantic life:
- Be honest with yourself about what triggers feelings of loneliness. If you tend to get down on days when your partner is working late, schedule fun activities for those evenings so you don't spend too much time alone. If it's difficult for you to stay connected while one of you is traveling for work, discuss ways to make sure your communication stays strong during long stretches apart. * Set aside special couple time each day even if it's just five minutes while making dinner or watching TV together at night. Even if it feels like there isn't enough time in a busy schedule, carving out regular opportunities for intimacy will help maintain closeness and prevent loneliness from seeping into other areas of your relationship. * Make sure both partners are emotionally invested in maintaining emotional intimacy as well as physical intimacy.
Reasons to Pursue Romance
Despite our best efforts, sometimes it’s hard to attract a romantic partner. We can fall into an unhealthy cycle of self-doubt and loneliness when we are single. However, there are many things you can do to boost your confidence while you wait for romance—or work toward a long-term relationship or marriage. By focusing on your health and happiness, you may find that being single is more fulfilling than you thought. Here are some reasons why love is important, no matter what stage of life you’re in:
It makes us feel good about ourselves: In some ways, love functions like medicine. Research shows that feeling loved boosts our immune system and helps us fight off illness; feeling unloved makes us more vulnerable to disease. Feeling loved also enhances our sense of well-being by boosting levels of serotonin (the happy hormone) and lowering levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). Feeling unloved increases stress hormones and impairs immune function. The bottom line? Being in a loving relationship can help you live longer and healthier. And when you’re single, there are many things you can do to boost your self-esteem.
It gives us an opportunity to give back: When we’re in a romantic relationship, we often have someone who needs us—whether it’s simply because they need a hug or because they need support through hard times. Giving is one of life’s greatest pleasures and studies show that giving activates parts of our brain associated with pleasure, meaning that giving is actually good for us! In fact, research suggests that volunteering not only benefits others but may extend your own life as well! So whether you’re single or in a relationship, there are many ways you can make a difference in your community.
It connects us to something bigger than ourselves: Studies show that couples who pray together stay together longer than those who don’t pray together. The same goes for couples who meditate together; when two people spend time connecting with something larger than themselves (like God), their bond becomes stronger and more resilient over time. And even if you aren’t religious, meditation can still help you connect with something greater than yourself by helping you focus on the present moment instead of worrying about what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. In fact, research shows that mindfulness-based stress reduction programs may be effective in treating depression and anxiety disorders. So whether you are single or not, learning how to quiet your mind is a great way to bring balance into your life!
It gives us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes: We all make mistakes—it’s part of being human! But we often learn more from our mistakes when we have someone there to encourage us through them. When we are single, it’s easy to get stuck ruminating on past mistakes and failures—which isn’t healthy! Instead, try looking at your life as a series of lessons that you can use to grow as a person. In fact, research shows that people who view their lives as lessons learned are happier than those who view their lives as mistakes made. So whether you are single or not, try viewing your life experiences as opportunities for growth instead of regrets!
It gives us a chance to be selfless: In many ways, love is about giving up ourselves for another person—whether it’s giving up some of our time or energy or possessions (or even money). Research shows that practicing selflessness makes us happier because we feel needed by others and because giving makes us feel good about ourselves.
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