Hi Ravi, I had written to you earlier and your advice truly helped me. Hence, I write to you again. I was going around with a Punjabi girl and we used to get along very well despite the fact that she was posh and I'm not. Once her insensitive behaviour hurt me and I was very rude to her. I later realised that she was deeply shocked by my outburst and the poor girl went into depression. In fact she had to go for rehab as well. I sank into guilt and after she was back from rehab, I tried patching up with her desperately. However, as I was half expecting, she refused to continue being friends with me and stopped taking my calls. I saw this coming but I still find it difficult to deal with the emptiness at times. My friends ask me to read a lot but I feel books can never be a substitute to female company. Please advise on how I can cope with my loneliness. Thank you

Ans: Dear Kanishka,

I am glad I was of help. Also, I am sorry to hear how you are feeling but trust me it will pass. You are right, books can never be a substitute for companionship but they can be a great escape from the mundane realities of life. While you don't need to escape the truth all the time because accepting it is also crucial, doing so once in a while can be good for your mental health. Moreover, books widen your horizons and help you gain more perspective than one. Now I am not pushing you to become an avid reader; I am merely saying that your friend isn't wrong here. It sounds like a decent suggestion.

Coming to how you can overcome loneliness, let's get to the basics- meet your close friends, people who make you feel whole. Spend time with your family. Invest time in yourself, on your growth. You can hit the gym; it's one of the most productive habits and does wonders for not just your body but your mind too. Take up a hobby. It can be anything. The goal is to stay busy. After all that, take out some half hour a day to feel all the sadness and loneliness you are feeling, acknowledge it, and comfort yourself. Slowly you will realize that alone does not always mean lonely.

One more thing I would like to recommend is seeing a counselor if things don't improve with time. Time and again we need a little help to feel better, be it physically or mentally. You don't have to do it all alone.

Best Wishes!