When Feeling Like You Don't Belong

Tips for Finding a Sense of Belonging

At different times throughout our lives, most of us will experience phases of loneliness or feeling left out. This can be caused by many different things, including moving, switching schools, changing jobs, or it may just come with personal changes and growth within yourself/your community.

Here are some important things to keep in mind when you’re feeling left out and are trying to find a sense of belonging:

• Don’t be afraid to show your personality and the things that make you unique (through your clothes, your hobbies, etc.) but make sure you’re still remaining accessible and easy to talk to, so people with similar interests can approach you

• There will always be certain people who will make you feel like you don’t belong. It’s important to remember that this isn’t personal and it happens to everyone. Don’t let it hinder your journey to finding friends.

• In today’s age of technology, there are countless different ways to find communities that will make you feel accepted and welcomed - online forums, blogs, gaming groups, social media, etc. 

• Different friends serve different purposes - you don’t need to see ALL of your friends ALL of the time or be BEST friends with everyone you meet. There may be friends you only see a few times a year, and others you see weekly. This is healthy and creates balance, as it gives you different groups of people that you can go to for different needs.

In other, more serious cases, you may feel actively rejected because of your gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.: 

• Never let ignorant opinions of others let you feel like something about who you are is wrong. Feel confident in standing up for yourself and who you are, as long as you feel safe and comfortable doing so.