How to Stop Feeling Empty

Do you wake up in the morning feeling like there's no good reason to get up and face the day? Emptiness is a feeling all humans experience from time to time, and it's not easy to pull yourself away from it. Feeling empty all or most of the time can be a symptom of an underlying condition, such as depression, and you should seek the help of a licensed mental health professional if you almost always feel empty. But to stop feeling empty when the sensation only bubbles up occasionally, there are simple things you can do yourself, such as journaling, trying new things, and making new friends. Filling your life with love and finding meaning in daily living should help ward away temporary feelings of emptiness and may even help if you're striving to recover from long-term emptiness.

Filling Your Life with Love

Spend time with people who love you.

This may be your family or it may be a group of trusted friends. Spending time with people who really know you and love you for who you are is a remedy for emptiness. Focus on building and strengthening your relationships with these people. You can find meaning in the simple act of spending time with a loved one who takes pleasure in your company. Spending time with friends and family can also help reduce stress and give you a deeper sense of belonging.

Reduce the time that you spend with people who are harmful to you, even if they don’t mean to be. If you must spend time around someone who is hurting your self-esteem or making you feel powerless, make sure your meetings always have a time cap.

Make a new friend or enter a romantic relationship.

The pleasure of meeting someone you connect with and letting the relationship grow in unexpected ways is a terrific antidote to feelings of emptiness. A new friend or love interest can provide emotional support and help you have rich new experiences and show you that you're an interesting, lovable person. Suddenly the world can seem like it has a lot more to offer than you previously thought. Making friends can also help you to have a deeper sense of purpose and belonging.

Sometimes it's difficult to make new friends and meet people, especially in later years when you're no longer in school. Joining clubs, taking classes, or spending time in a favorite hangout are good ways to meet people.

Practice being more generous with your time and saying "yes" when you're invited to do something. If you feel you never have enough time to give new relationships, they won't grow.

Adopt an animal companion.

Research has shown that having a pet can make life feel fuller and more meaningful. People who own pets are also less likely to suffer from depression and may experience health benefits from owning a pet as well. Having a companion animal that depends on you for care can also help make your life seem more meaningful. Consider adopting a cat or dog from a local shelter to reduce your feelings of emptiness.

Be kind to others.

Performing random acts of kindness can help you feel more fulfilled by refocusing your attention on other people. Look for small ways that you can demonstrate kindness to others. The kind acts that you perform will make other people feel good, which may help you to feel more fulfilled.

For example, you could offer a compliment to a stranger such as, "I love your dress! It is so beautiful." Look for ways to show kindness in whatever situation you are in. Even something as simple as smiling and nodding at people throughout the day might help to brighten someone’s day and help you to feel more fulfilled.

Understanding Why You Feel Empty

Talk to a trusted friend about how you're feeling.

Keeping your feelings bottled up can cause stress and be damaging to your relationships and your health over time. Sometimes just talking about your feelings can make them go away or decrease.Talk to someone who cares and understands you, or at least, whom you trust; it can make a big difference.

Start a journal to track your thoughts and feelings.

Journaling can help you to understand your feelings of emptiness better and it is also a great way to relieve stress and anxiety.To get started with journaling, choose a comfortable place and plan to devote about 20 minutes per day to writing. You can start by writing about how you are feeling or what you are thinking, or you can use a prompt.Some prompts you might use include:

When did you first notice your emptiness? How long has it been there? How old is your emptiness?

What emotions do you experience when you are feeling empty?

Are you prone to feeling empty during certain times or in certain places? What do you notice about your environment when you are feeling most empty?

What kind of thoughts do you have when you are feeling empty?