8 Solo Activities for Managing Depression and Loneliness

Being alone doesn't mean you're doomed to feel lonely. These solo activities can actually play a role in managing depression.

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Ease Depression While Finding Enjoyment

Depression can leave you feeling cut off from the world, drain your energy, and quash your desire to be active. One good way to ease that loneliness and help manage depression is to reach out to others, forming healthy social connections with those around you. However, you can't be with other people all the time. So, engaging in healthy solo activities could help fend off feelings of isolation and reinforce your depression treatment. Start with these ideas.

Ease Into Exercise

"Most doctors treating chronic depression would like their patients to exercise," says Peter Kramer, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University in Providence, R.I. There's good reason, too. Research published in the Annals of General Psychiatry suggests that regular physical activity helps ease symptoms of depression among adults. Exercise can also build confidence and help you cope with stress or anxiety. Being physically active prompts the release of brain chemicals such as neurotransmitters and endorphins, which can boost mood and ease depression symptoms. Even taking a short walk outside or riding a stationary bike can restart your engine.

Meditate to a Relaxed State

Research shows that a growing number of people are turning to meditation to help manage depression because it can help interrupt recurring negative thoughts. Even practicing simple meditation techniques could improve a negative mood and reduce stress. A 2009 study conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford in England found that people with severe and recurring depression benefit from incorporating mindfulness-based cognitive therapy — a combination of ancient forms of meditation and modern behavior therapy — into their treatment plan. Consider taking a basic meditation class or follow a beginner's audio or video guide.

Practice Yoga

Best known for its flexibility-enhancing benefits, yoga also works as a complementary treatment for depression. Although researchers are still looking into how and why yoga helps ease depression symptoms, a study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2007 found that yoga could benefit people takingantidepressants who are in partial remission. The study's authors suggest that the stretching, balancing, and breathing routines involved in yoga help reduce depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, and anxiety. And because yoga is a mind-body practice, it's best done when you can devote your full attention to it, making it an excellent solo activity.

Care for a Pet

Pets provide companionship, helping reduce feelings of loneliness. Taking care of a pet can also give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction. Dr. Kramer cautions, however, that for people with more severe forms of depression, the responsibility of having to care for a pet can backfire. "In general, people often feel pets are reliable and supportive, but it's important to not trivialize depression," he explains. "For some, it may feel like a burden to walk the dog, and people may end up feeling guilty about that." In that case, an animal that requires less attention may still fulfill you; consider a bird, fish, or small mammal.

Get Into Gardening

For people managing depression, gardening can be a simple way to interrupt negative thoughts. A study of 28 clinically depressed adults who participated in a 12-week therapeutic horticulture program revealed that the activity could help reduce the severity of depression. The research, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in 2010, noted that the effectiveness of the program was linked to how interested the participants became in gardening. Like cognitive behavior therapy, which helps people redirect their thinking, engaging your mind in something else, particularly something creative, can be helpful and uplifting. With gardening, the added benefit of being in sunshine improved outcomes.

Volunteer With a Passion

An analysis of 40 studies conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom and published in 2013 in the journal BMC Public Health shows that volunteering can ease depression and increase a sense of well-being and satisfaction. "Goodrelationships along with some reliable, productive outlet — such as work or volunteering — that provides some structure, extra meaning, and a certain amount of reward outside the social circle can be really helpful," Kramer explains. The study's authors point out that volunteering just 10 hours a month or less can provide mental health benefits. Just don't overextend yourself, the researchers caution, or the benefit can become a burden.

Lose Yourself in a Book

For people who have mild depression, reading a self-help book or other motivational book between therapy sessions can be helpful — and might even accelerate recovery. A study published in the journal Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy in 2010 found that this practice, known as cognitive bibliotherapy, resulted in a dramatic improvement in depression symptoms. But your reading material can also be purely pleasurable. Engrossing yourself in a character's story can help shift your mood and move your thoughts in a new — and better — direction.

Turn Up the Music

Love a good song? Listening to music is another activity that can help ease depression and loneliness. A 2010 review of studies that focused on listening to music found that, indeed, tuning in to your favorite songs can improve depression symptoms. The researchers also noted that over time, music may have a cumulative effect. The more you include it in your life, the more pleasurable it can become.

Even if what you used to enjoy doesn't seem like fun now, over time these activities in combination with medication and talk therapy could help lift your spirits and improve your mood. And you don't have to rely on anyone else to do them!