As high school students we see our peers everywhere.  They are all around us.  In our classes, our lunches, before and after school, and if you are doing tutoring for extra help in your classes they are going to be there too.  We also see all kinds of different kids in different cliques.  You have the cheerleaders, the athletes like soccer and football players, the theatre kids, the student government, and the stoner kids.  There are many more cliques it’s just too much to name them all.  But what about the kids who don’t belong to any cliques?  The kids who sit by themselves everyday because they don’t belong in any of those categories?  We all are going through something hard. Being lonely and feeling like nobody notices you or cares about you is one of the worst feelings of all.

The first way you can start to feel more confident is to start by understanding yourself.  An article on boomerly.com states  “The first step is to understand what is contributing to your lonliness.” This means that the first step to feeling less lonely and more confident is to find what is causing this feeling.  Are there any triggers? The more you are able to find the thing that is triggering you to feel that way the more confident and happy you are going to feel because you can try to change whatever is triggering you to feel that

Another way to feel happier and more confident is to get out and be physical the same article said, “Even the simple act of going to the grocery store can make you feel more connected.”  Physical activity of any kind will help you with those feelings.  Get out and make an effort to meet new people.  Go for a walk or for a run.  Studies have shown that those who go out and make an effort to meet new people and who go out and explore tend to be happier.

Most of the students who are lonely, are the students who have the hardest homelife or have a hard time outside of school. Ashlee from Taylorsville High School was just an ordinary kid from an ordinary family.  They laughed and loved each other.  After a long day out and about Ashlee came home to find her brother laying on the ground. It wasn’t long before she realized that he had taken his life.  Not only was Ashlee struggling in school, now she had even more problems to pile up.  She said “ Even though I was not alone, I felt like I was.  Everyone was in their own little worlds trying to fix the problem.  When I tried to help they would get upset with me.  It felt like none of them noticed me.” On top of all this Ashlee came to school and felt just as lonely as she did at home.  But as a result of people trying to reach out to Ashlee she was able to overcome those emotions and the feeling of being lonely left her.  So take the time to reach out to someone at lunch or in class.  You might change their entire world, just like Ashlee’s.