This world is a crowd. We all live in a crowd. Our family, our friends, our business associates, our co-workers, and our community. All these form a crowd for us not in the dictionary sense, but let us say that we are always getting connected with someone, somewhere and are not living on an island alone. Even then, many of us feel lonely. Are you one of them?

Being lonely means - you are not able to share your deepest thoughts with anyone. You have issues at home. You have issues at office. You have issues with your relatives. You have issues with your friends. You are carrying so much of hurt and guilt inside yourself. You want to do many things, and at times, need help. You don't know, whom to ask? You feel lonely. You feel all alone. You feel that no one understands you. Despite all your trials, you fail to share and convey your feelings. If you talk about office issues with your wife/husband or your girlfriend/boyfriend, you are not able to get any good advice. They all have their suggestions and analysis of your situation, but that differs greatly from what you believe to be true. Therefore, you shut up after talking for a while with them.

You have friends with whom you try to talk about your problems. But they want to tell you theirs first. What is taken quite seriously by you, is considered ordinary by others. What do you do? Should you consult a psychiatrist? How will that help? Your character, and your thinking. Is something wrong with them? Who will tell you? Who will guide? You feel very disturbed at all the times. You want peace in your mind. You go out to walk alone, but your thoughts don't leave you anywhere. This agitation of mind is becoming intolerable. You feel lonely. You want to talk with someone who will understand your point of view and tell you what to do?

Are you one of such people? Do you feel lonely? Do you also feel that you have no one to share your deepest thoughts? Have you started feeling that everyone is selfish? No one has got time for you? No one wants to understand you? No one cares for you?

What can you do in such a situation? You may be feeling helpless, but something ought to be done. The first step in such agitation should be to avoid thinking for some time during the day. Involve yourself in some such activity that takes your mind away from itself. Any activity that will engross you completely. A good movie, a good novel, some magazines, a TV show, any activity that takes the mind away will give some peace. The next step would be to find out if anyone you know is also facing such a state? How does he/she do that? For this you will have to shift your attention from yourself to others. Begin listening to others. Ask them about their problems and listen. You may probably find that there are few others who are also in the same boat. Even if you are not religious, try to talk to God. Tell Him about what all goes on in your life and your mind. Ask Him to help you.

One who feels lonely in the crowd of people, must first raise his/her self-esteem. You must say - 'OK. Other than God, no one will understand what I am facing. That is OK. I will set some exciting goals for myself. I will try to achieve them. For me, my life is very important. I will live my life in such a way that I feel proud of it. I am a good person and I know that. I don't honestly care if others are not understanding me. I will try to understand their problems and help them. Rather than asking for help, let me start giving.'