 Hey there, Psych2Go family! Welcome back to our channel. It's time to get to know our emotions even better. Loneliness is one of the most universal emotions of the human condition. If you're not sure if you're really lonely, you can check out our previous video, Seven Signs, You May Be Lonely, to find out more. You feel lonely when your loved one starts to drift away from you, you don't have any friends or someone special to spend your day with, or you feel unwanted by people you care about. Here are nine possible reasons why you feel lonely. One, you don't know how to connect with people. You crave closeness in relationships, but don't know how to connect with others. Having a lack of close personal relationships in your life has been shown to be the number one reason why a lot of us feel so lonely all the time. Your friends with lots of people, but your relationship isn't founded on anything substantial. You feel lonely because having someone to make small talk to about the news or the weather isn't enough to give you the emotional fulfillment you need. Two, you're afraid of intimacy. Is it difficult for you to let people in? Are you emotionally closed off and fear vulnerability? You might be feeling so lonely all the time, not because you don't know how to be emotionally vulnerable with someone, but because you don't want to. People who are afraid of intimacy keep those around them at an emotional distance. You don't want to get too attached to someone and you keep your guard up at all times. You fear rejection, abandonment and heartbreak, and it holds you back from emotional connection, genuine love and meaningful friendships. Three, you're going through a lot of change. Have you moved to a new school or a new city lately? Do you feel uncertain about what the future might bring and where it might take you? It's normal to feel lonely, lost and confused when you're getting through a period of change. And as we get older, sometimes we outgrow certain relationships and drift apart from those we were once so close to. Change can be scary, but staying stuck in the past may only make you feel more isolated and alone, especially when everyone around you has already moved on. Four, you struggle with codependency. Codependency is what happens when you base your sense of identity and self-worth on someone else. When you're codependent on someone, you make them the source of all your happiness and put their needs above your own, which isn't healthy. You prioritize them over yourself and bend over backwards just to help them get whatever they want, and you end up losing yourself in the relationship. To devote yourself so wholly to someone who's only interested in what you can do for them is a lonely way to live, and it may be the source of all of your emotional turmoil. Five, you've lost touch with yourself. Do you know what it is you want in life, or what values and principles you want to live by, or what truly makes you happy? When you base your sense of self on your relationships with other people, you forget who you are without them, and losing touch with yourself can bring a deep sense of loneliness, because the person you spend the most time with has now become a complete stranger to you. Take the time to introspect and search your heart for answers about who you really are and learn to live a life without being defined by those around you. Six, you're feeling misunderstood. Does it often feel like no one really knows you or understands you? Do you struggle to fit in with others? Studies show that feeling misunderstood significantly contributes to a person's sense of loneliness. Sometimes, others, even your closest friends and family just can't seem to relate to you or see you for who you really are. You might even feel judged or ostracized by those around you because of all the ways you're so different from them, which can be one of the loneliest feelings in the world. Seven, you're struggling to feel worthy. Have you experienced a recent heartbreak? Were you ever rejected by someone you loved or had an important relationship end? When you struggle with feelings of worthlessness, loneliness often follows, because it's hard to move on from the pain of rejection and even harder to not let it define our sense of self-worth. It can make anyone feel small and insignificant and feel like no one cares and that kind of loneliness is the scariest of all. Eight, you're spending time with the wrong people. Some people feel lonely when they're alone, but being alone with the wrong people can make us feel just as lonely or even lonelier. Are you friends with people you don't even like or dating someone who's wrong for you? Such relationships make you feel more drained being with them than being by yourself. You only stay with them because you're afraid of being alone, but you fail to see that they're actually the ones making you feel lonely. And nine, you may have depression. If you still struggle with loneliness, even with so many meaningful and intimate relationships in your life, it may be because you're suffering from depression. According to the American Psychological Association, chronic feelings of loneliness are one of the most tell-tale signs of clinical depression. This mental illness makes it so difficult for us to feel connected to other people and often leaves us withdrawn, isolated, miserable, lethargic and with no hope, no happiness and no motivation to do anything. This isn't a surefire diagnosis for depression, so it's always a good idea to check in with a specialist just to be sure. Understanding the reasons behind your loneliness is an important first step towards overcoming it. It's normal to experience loneliness sometimes because it's a part of the human experience in life, but if you struggle with intense, constant or reoccurring feelings of loneliness, it might be a sign of a much more serious underlying mental health problem. If so, don't hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional if you feel your loneliness starting to get out of hand. Did these points help you understand your feelings a little better? Do you now see what might be causing your emotions in you? Do let us know in the comments below. Also remember to share this video with those you think might benefit from it. And as always, thanks for watching.