"Loneliness, alienation from life, is a loneliness from your real self. Those who are alienated from their real self have cut themselves off from the basic and fundamental contact with life. Because of the feelings of alienation from self, human contacts are not very satisfying, and they become social recluses. One of the ways they can find themselves is to lose themselves in social activities with other people." - Maxwell Maltz

The new school year is now a couple of weeks old. The luster of a new beginning has likely worn off. You may be finding that you feel like the same old person that you were last year. For many girls feelings of loneliness set in as going to school becomes normal life again.

As Dr. Maltz quotes earlier, loneliness is a symptom of being disconnected from the real you. It is a feeling stemming from aimlessness and a lack of direction. Because of the lack of purpose in your life, there is a sense of being disconnected with the other people. You don't feel like you have much to add to a conversation, so you don't say anything. Because you don't say anything, people don't acknowledge you and it becomes easier to not put yourself out there and try the next time.

One of the ways to overcome this loneliness is to find purpose in interacting with other people. However, interacting with other people doesn't really solve the problem. Helping someone enlarge their life does.

"If our lives are dedicated to enhancing the lives of everyone we come in contact with our lives can never lose meaning." - David Hawkins

Loneliness is really a selfish feeling. The lonely person is focusing on how others are not meeting their needs. One way to overcome loneliness is to 'lose yourself' in making the life of every person that you meet a little better. As you do that more and more, you will find connection with your inner self and you will find your purpose.