how can i help lonely people?

You might be interested in a story I have that relates to this question!

Growing up, I was home schooled. It was incredibly isolating and lonely. I didn't watch the tv shows, listen to the music, or watch the movies that all of my public schooled counterparts did growing up. Not even Harry Potter or Star Wars, etc. It was hard to relate to anyone for a long time.

I came back to public school in sophomore year of high school and that entire year was very hard. I tried to fit in, watch those movies and tv shows, read those books, listen to that music, etc. It was a very hard adjustment period.

When junior year rolled around, I promised myself that I would talk to anyone who looked as lonely as I did when I came to public school from home schooling.

At the school I went to, the buses dropped off students 20 minutes before class started, so we would all sit in the cafeteria with friends and talk/eat breakfast.

I didn't know anybody, and it seemed like every table in the cafeteria was taken. I was scanning the room looking for someone who might let me sit with them and I saw a table with one lone person sitting there. Everyone else seemed to be ignoring him, and I felt bad, because I remembered what it was like for me. I asked if the seat across the table was taken, and he said no.

When I sat down, he put up his hood and kind of scrunched his back up, and was very silent. I tried to make small talk with him that day but nothing came of it.

Over the next few weeks, he sloooowwwly started coming out of his shell and talking to me more. It took a while, but after a few months, we went from strangers to good friends who would talk to each other all day at school.

Fast-forward 5 years, and now we're married :)

My best advice to you is to just find someone who you feel might be lonely, or an outcast, etc, and just sit with them every day. Even if they don't open up to you, even if it takes months, just sit with them. It means more to them than you know to just have someone who remembers them, who puts effort into seeing them, etc, even if it's only by sitting next to them for 10 minutes a day. It makes them feel wanted, and special, like someone does care and want their company.

You might end up finding a life-long friend!

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