Loneliness

If you are feeling lonely or isolated because of bullying, ask for help. Talk to your parents, the guidance counselor, your teacher or anyone else you trust about the problem.

Here are some other things you can do to help yourself:

1.	Ask to join a group at recess time to play. To start with, don’t pick the popular or “in” group. Ask to play with a smaller group of children. Before you pick a group, watch to see that they don’t get into trouble at recess or you could end up in the same trouble. When you join a group, be friendly and go along with the game. Don’t try to change the rules or argue; just have fun. After you get to know everyone, you will be able to share your ideas.
2.	Take part in extra-curricular activities. Perhaps you can join a sporta games group or a choir. There are many activities to join at school. Is there a group that helps out? Join the recycling team, library helpers or office team. Helping others can make you feel good and help you find some new friends.
3.	Invite one person over after school that you might like to get to know better. Make sure you both check with your parents first. The visit will work a lot better if you have something to do (you don’t want to be bored) and have some snacks to enjoy. Maybe you need to do homework together and then you can play a game outside or a craft that is fun to do. You might not become best friends, but the more people you get to know the less likely you are to be lonely.
4.	If you feel overwhelming loneliness and despair, you should talk to someone you trust. No-one should feel so lonely that they feel life will never get better or that no-one will ever like them. If this is the way you feel, talk to someone. There are people to help. If you find it very hard to say anything, show your teacher or your parent this page you are reading right now, and say "Do you see this #4? This is how bad I feel and I need someone to listen to me."