To Anyone Feeling Lonely. || summer of self ep 2

hi, you're loved.
Welcome to the 2nd episode of Summer of Self: Loneliness. This is for anyone who feels sad, lonely, or lost in life. Today I'm talking about my experiences of loneliness, the effect of social media on the loneliness epidemic and what I do when I feel lonely to overcome loneliness. I hope this makes you feel valid if you've experienced feelings of loneliness before. You're normal. And surprisingly, you're not alone.

This one was very raw. I hope it helps someone feel less alone. ❤️
Tell me what you'd like to see in the next episode!

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro to Feeling Lonely
00:17 Why I'm Making this Video for Summer of Self
00:57 How I've Experienced Loneliness
2:01 My Gap Year: Physically Alone
4:42 French Exchange: Lack of Depth
5:32 Social Media and How it Makes Us Lonelier
7:20 Why Loneliness is Normal
8:09 Why Don't We Talk About Loneliness?
9:03 What Helps Me Feel Less Lonely
10:44 Journal Prompts!
10:59 Share your Experiences in the Comments 💛

Recommended Free Meditations and Yoga!

And of course, if you feel like your loneliness is ever too much, reach out to a mental health support line like one of these!

✨ CONTACT ME ✨
Instagram - @unjadedjade
TikTok: @unjadedjade

🌞 MORE 🌞
Casual Magic of the Day: I had a talk with my Mum about her relationship life before my Dad and it was... so enlightening? We don't normally talk about these things but the conversation meant a lot. It's the little things.
Song of the Day: Permission to Dance by BTS
Book I'm reading: 1Q84 by Murukami
What are YOU grateful for today?

FAQ:
How old are you? ~ 21
Where are you from? ~ The UK! Near London.
Where do you go to university? ~ Minerva Schools at KGI
One of the best decisions you ever made? ~ Taking a gap year!

CURRENT FAVOURITES — things I love recently (these are all affiliate links):

if no one has told you today, you are enough. 💛

[nikitabush]

Sometimes you need to feel lonely. After that, you begin to look at the people around you in a new way, you begin to appreciate good people whom you previously underestimated

[iiiCupCakeiii]

I really like that you said 'craving human attention' since wanting attention is always seen as something negative but we humans are such social creatures that we simply NEED attention to survive

[alishabilal]

reminder that you can feel lonely but not necessarily be alone!! + being “lonely” does not make you a loser, it’s a natural emotional state that everyone experiences

[mariagabrail]

I felt this episode so deeply especially the part about being around people yet still feeling lonely, this feeling is one of the things I hate the most in life, at some point it made me feel worthless, unloved, and that I don’t deserve love. Thank you for making an episode about this because it took me so long to get out of this mindset that feeling lonely means all of those lies, and I hope no one has to go through this. To anyone reading this just know I love you so much💛

[rw]

That was a good video. This is something we all go through when we leave school and go to uni. Suddenly your daily connections with classmates and friends just drop and you have 1 person or 2-5 or however many ppl in your uni life. At first it feels like it's just you going through this. But trust me as a 3rd-year and a student mentee, this is something EVERY one of us go through. On the surface, you see ppl in groups going to clubs and out with friends, but you don't know how lonely those ppl feel being in the group (like jade said the depth and connection is just not there). And then you have people who don't have big groups to hang out with and seeing those ppl makes them even more alone and feel worse about themselves. I would say you just need 1 really close person, someone to walk to uni with, go out to have fun, study and have deep conversations with (ofcourse that develops with time). That's what happened to me and afterwards, my loneliness started to subside with the presence of 1 very close friend and that was enough. Later on you begin to form more connections but you always return to your base: your family, close friends.
Sorry for the ramble but this is for anyone feeling lonely at uni, school or whatever stage you are in life. The expectation of having many friends and making friends quickly is unreal and no one really tells you that. You don't need to pressure yourself to meet that expectation.

[nicole.k]

this is one of the biggest feelings i face right now, especially being a teen in my last years of school. all throughout never felt i truly clicked with whatever group i was in at the time, hence feelings of lonliness and isolation started to appear. i still sometimes struggle and being introverted might also push it further. i think the biggest things is wanting to avoid rejection which causes me to be cold to others at first. thank you so much, you validiated my thoughts entierly. all love to ur book release! just started reading it 🥰🌞

[wanderinglinguist]

Journaling helped me understand my feelings better, and address the triggers. I recommend you try it - remember that there is no right or wrong way, to do it. You can literally just use a notes app and brain dump everything you feel, at the moment

[saracampagnoli]

I always feel loneliness because of my anxiety. I tend to decline every invite to date with people. I have a group of friends but my heart says “c’mon, be with other people, don’t be scary to meet someone else” but my mind says “oh no, no no”. So I decided to visit a friend of mine in Manchester for a few months because I’m Italian and live in Italy, bur I’m doing it to change my life a little bit. I hope to be more open! THANK YOU JADE for this video, right time! ✨

[megalegsx]

This one struck a chord with me 💛 I'm in the process of applying for a year's leave of absence mid-degree due to my mental health, and I have already been suffering from intense feelings of isolation, even though my leave hasn't started yet. Because it's summer, it's so difficult seeing everyone else meeting up and having fun, whilst I'm home alone. If friends do reach out, its almost impossible to find a date that works because everyone's schedules are so busy. I was never the social butterfly in school, but it's scary how I've kind of just fallen off of the social radar, and it's difficult to figure out how to make friends again. I want to make meaningful relationships but I feel like I never have the opportunity anymore.

[musicismylifesupport]

Gosh, I wish my 14 year old self could have watched this. I'm just glad that the 14 year olds (or whoever) of the future can watch this instead. Thank you Jade ❤❤

[ffm]

Jaaaade I'm so happy I'm early bc you might actually see this comment. I just wanted to say thank you so much for spreading so much positivity! You inspired me to start documenting my daily "casual magic" and it honestly changed my perception of the world. I'm also on a gap year, which I have you to thank for because I discovered your channel in 2019 through your gap year videos. Sending you lots of love from Australia, and I hope you have a gorgeous day <3

[Hakoona]

I feel like u just talked straight out of what I’m hiding in my heart

[jessicamandel]

letting yourself process and heal in times of loneliness is so important for growth. While no one wants to feel isolated, it is a human experience that teaches us lessons of grit and resilience. thank you for sharing your experience.

[mariagoncalves]

Hi. I feel the most lonely in summer actually, during university time im always busy so i dont have much time to think about it but still sometimes i feel lonely ( in my uni there are many groups already setup so you dont really have the option to know more people...and still i feel like no one there has the same interests as me...), but in summer i just feel like everyone is enjoying summer with their friends and here i am at home laying in bed watching séries and And even some people that i know at uni or back in my hometown, the friendship has no depth....they dont really know me or what i like...and i dont really know them...but since they have other friends they dont put any effort in trying to know me...even if i try...
I have my twin sister to be with me and share a lot of things and no one knows her better than me....sometimes we dont even have to talk to understand each other 😅...but still i feel like i can't find that outside my home....and it makes me feel like i can't form a relationship from scratch...
Love you all!!!❤️

[avacado]

Being by yourself is such a good thing, you learn how to be more independent and not rely on others because in the end you can only fully rely on yourself so it’s important to establish a better relationship with yourself

[hannahwallis]

I have felt so lonely since I left the Amish- this series is really making me think, as I have no contact with my family anymore, so thank you for showing that it’s ok to feel lonely ❤️🥺

[abhipsha]

i feel a different type of lonliness, after moving to a college with such smart people around me i often feel inferior, left out, and i associate my identity with my grades. I've come to realize now that that has to stop, because my perception of myself equals everybody else's perception of me. I have my strengths, yes, language, literature, psychology, public speaking I'm good at all that but when i get grades of my science subjects i cant help but watch my confidence falling down from the top of a mountain having a landslide. everytime i get a bad grade i distance myself, to focus that is, but in that process it gets really lonely. i lack love, I'm really really deficient of love and i dont talk to my crush because i have to focus right? but even after all this sacrifice i feel like i have nothing. what have i even sacrificed for i cant see it. i dont date, and i made that decision back when i was 12 and I'm almost 17 now and haven't broken it, its because of a couple reasons, but more that i think of it more i believe ive been conditioned to think that love is for the people who'd choose beauty over brains and that id never do that; but then why does it feel like i have neither? i have this urge to drop everything and wear my heart on my sleeve in exchange for the lost 5 years but then i didn't start because i would give up, i have a dream, i want to be a high achiever i want that A+ i want that 95% but often times in this war i forget, because of... lonliness

[DilsJourney]

Think of this summer as self fulfilment. Hope everyone reaches that level of inner peace we are all capable of! if anyone wants to drop me a message if they feel they need to talk, always here for a chat :)

[ozozanka]

Feeling lonely is my constant struggle, I basically have never had a friend in my life so find that hard to enjoy spending time with myself since that’s all I do. Small talk is all I can achive with people really, no idea how to go deeper. So sad about it. Thanks for that video, I love your mindset 💛

[rhiannalightfoot]

Cannot thank you enough for this Jade. Feel like loneliness in young people is something not really talked about and this makes you feel more lonely because you feel you’re the only one going through it. This video was so helpful and reassuring❤️