Loneliness is an emotional response to feeling alone or isolated. There are lots of reasons you might feel lonely, this might include moving to a new place, changing schools, friendships or relationships ending or bereavement. Sometimes you might feel lonely even if you’re around lots of other people or have lots of friends.

We all feel lonely sometimes, but if you’re feeling lonely all the time it can feel difficult to cope with and can start to affect your mental health. Loneliness can leave us feeling sad, depressed or give us feelings of low self-esteem. If you’re already struggling with your mental health it can feel difficult to interact with others and this might leave you feeling lonely when you didn’t before.

Sometimes it can feel hard to find others who can relate to feelings of loneliness. Lots of people use social media to connect with others if they’re feeling lonely, but sometimes this can make you feel more isolated. It can make you feel like everyone around you is having a good time and this can make things feel much harder. If you’re feeling lonely, there are things you can do to feel better.