Quotes For Support For When You Feel Lonely Or Disconnected

Feeling isolated and lonely can be challenging, but it’s an experience many of us will have from time to time throughout our lives. Amidst our everyday busy lives, reading quotes from others who have experienced similar emotions and situations can help you feel less alone and may even help you shift your view of the circumstances. 

Read on for resilience quotes that may give you something to hold onto during difficult times, help you build a healthy perspective, increase your self-awareness, and remind you that support is available, even when you feel alone. We’ll also discuss the potential benefits of some amount of alone time, the relationship between loneliness and health, and tips for coping with feeling lonely.

Humans are social creatures, and most of us generally need some form of regular social connection to feel balanced. However, regularly spending some time alone can be beneficial, too. One study found that solitude can increase feelings of freedom, spirituality, intimacy, and creativity. 

You might also consider how many of the world’s greatest minds—from artists to scientists—required periods of solitude away from the rest of the world to cultivate or express their genius. The way you view time alone may also influence how it affects you, and viewing some time by yourself as positive may help you benefit more from it.

One study found that reframing time spent on your own as “solitude” may “boost resilience to the decrements in positive mood associated with time alone. 

Finally, some people may find that regular alone time is a must for them to feel recharged and balanced. Those with a more introverted nature, for instance, may be more likely to enjoy solitude and bear it more easily.

Researchers have uncovered correlations between social connections and mental and physical health. While different people may have different needs in terms of how much social interaction they require in their lives, virtually everyone can benefit from some amount of it. One study reports that those who say they have people they can count on are “more likely to be satisfied with their personal health.” It also points out the relationship between loneliness and conditions such as high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, heart disease, cognitive decline, depression, and anxiety.

It’s also worth noting that feelings of loneliness may be a symptom of certain mental health conditions, such as depression. Other mental health conditions may also contribute to feelings of isolation if they negatively impact your daily functioning, if you aren’t connected with others who are facing similar challenges, or if you don’t currently have resources.

There are many different reasons a person might feel lonely, so there’s typically not a one-size-fits-all solution for this often-difficult emotion. That said, there are a number of different strategies for decreasing feelings of loneliness that you might try. 

Feeling supported through social connections

First, of course, there are tips you can adopt to help yourself form new social connections. You might join a hobby club, a sports team, or a book club, or volunteer for a cause about which you’re passionate. This way, you might be able to meet like-minded new friends. Many groups and activities today also have an online option if you don’t have transportation or are unable to leave your home for another reason. It’s also worth noting that one study found that online social connections can be nourishing, especially for those who lack enough in-person social support.

Managing loneliness through self care

Taking care of your own health—especially your mental health—can also help you manage feelings of loneliness. Eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and practicing good sleep hygiene have all been linked to mental and emotional health. Building healthy habits like these may boost your mood overall, potentially helping you feel less lonely and more motivated to participate in social activities. 

Quotes for support when longing for comfort or feeling lonely

Feeling lonely is a common human experience. Reading quotes from others who have felt this way may remind you that you’re not alone in these feelings. You’ll find a selection of well-known quotes about loneliness and solitude below.

• “Be alone, that is the secret of invention; Be alone—that is when ideas are born.” -Nikola Tesla 
•  “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” -Maya Angelou
• “If you are never alone, you cannot know yourself”. -Paulo Coelho de Souza
• "I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.” -Robin Williams
• “We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly. Spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.” -Susan L. Taylor
• “I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.” -Audrey Hepburn
• “There is nothing outside of yourself. Look within. Everything you want is there. You are that.” -Rumi
• “What a lovely surprise to discover how un-lonely being alone can be.” -Ellen Burstyn

• “In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus
• “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” -John Green
• "If you smile when you are alone, then you really mean it.” -Andy Rooney
• “Loneliness is the human condition. Cultivate it. The way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow.” -Janet Fitch
• “We can all fight against loneliness by engaging in random acts of kindness.” -Gail Honeyman
• “We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart…and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together. I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude.” -Helen Hayes
• “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” -Michel de Montaigne
• “Find company within yourself and you’ll never spend a day alone. Find love within yourself and you’ll never have a lonely day.” -Connor Chalfant
• “Cultivate solitude and quiet and a few sincere friends, rather than mob merriment, noise, and thousands of nodding acquaintances.” -William Powell
• “I think it’s very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person.” -Oscar Wilde

Support quotes on finding comfort in loneliness

• “Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life's cruelest irony.” -Douglas Coupland
• “Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.” -Thomas Wolfe
• “By all means use sometimes to be alone, Salute thyself; see what the soul doth wear.” -George Herbert
• “A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.” -Bertrand Russell.
• “Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.” -Paul Tillich
• “Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.” -Henry Rollins
• “Ordinary men hate solitude. But the master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.” -Lao Tzu
• “Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude.” -Arthur Schopenhauer
• “When we cannot bear to be alone, it means we do not properly value the only companion we will have from birth to death—ourselves.” -Eda J. LeShan

Quotes for support that convey loneliness

• “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” - Mother Teresa
• "All the lonely people, where do they all come from?" -The Beatles
• “Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.” -Thomas Wolfe
• Yes, there is joy, fulfillment and companionship - but the loneliness of the soul in its appalling self-consciousness is horrible and overpowering.” -Sylvia Plath
• “If you are alone, you belong entirely to yourself. If you are accompanied by even one companion, you belong only half to yourself or even less in proportion to the thoughtlessness of his conduct, and if you have more than one companion, you will fall more deeply into the same plight.” -Leonardo da Vinci

How therapy can help you feel supported

Another option for addressing persistent feelings of loneliness is to speak with a mental health professional. A therapist may be able to identify whether you’re experiencing a mental health condition and offer treatment options for addressing it if so. They can also help you build skills and characteristics that can assist you in social interactions, such as communication and self-esteem. In addition, they can simply provide a supportive listening ear so you can voice your own thoughts and emotions and feel heard. 

Online therapy for feeling supported

For those who might prefer connecting with a therapist from the comfort of home, a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp is one option. You can get matched with a licensed therapist with whom you can meet via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging from anywhere you have an internet connection. Research suggests that online therapy may offer similar benefits to in-person sessions, so you can typically choose the format that feels right for you.