"Let's have a heart-to heart talk!

Valentines Day. What does it mean anything to you ? Are you a hopeless romantic, or do you see the celebration as a made up holiday to get people to buy flowers and chocolates and watch cheesy movies?

Well, chocolate is good any day of the year so let's definitely keep the chocolate giving going!

But seriously folks, Valentines Day can put a lot of pressure on people to have a date, or wish they had a date for the 14th February which can be pretty stressful . There are probably plenty of us out there who just wish the day is over! To be honest, in other parts of the world the focus is more about friendship, so Valentine's Day becomes more of a time to focus on the friends you have that are important to you.

This makes me think that Valentine's Day is just yet another example of people's desire for connection.

All of us on a deeper level are just so hungry for connection to others. Yes of course, it may be a connection to just one special someone. But I think it also much more than that. A desire to connect with family and loved ones, to have a larger group of friends that value you and to have a whole community of people you can connect with and feel part of.

This is why social media and platforms like Instagram and Facebook exploded and have so many users, because no one wants to feel isolated. No one wants to feel alone. The virtual world has filled that gap.

Connection is key.

Yet it is also important to connect with others in the face-to- face world. Isolation and loneliness are often linked to physical health problems, as well as mental issues like anxiety and depression. Those feelings can have a knock on effect in other areas of your life and make you feel overwhelmed and even stuck.

In fact, in our modern Western societies loneliness is on the rise. The warm embracing communities acting like extended families, which our grandparents may have witnessed, have declined due to the fast paced, modern, work- driven societies we live in .

So what can you do to get more connected with people outside of the virtual world if you are feeling symptoms of loneliness and isolation?

What small steps can you start taking that are going to take you outside of yourself and make you feel part of something bigger ?

1.Write about how you feel.

First of all ,you need to acknowledge how you are feeling and accept your desire to be more connected. Try writing out your feelings in a journal to get them out of your head and start processing them. Ideally, do this when you are out of the house and in a public place like a coffee shop . Brainstorm ideas for how you could get more connected with others and decide on the easiest options you can take action on now.

2.Join a meetup.

Meetups are now happening all over the world in different cities and towns, where you can meet up with people who may have similar interest to you . They have loads of different options for types of meetups focusing on hobbies, outdoor adventures, cooking, health and fitness and more. You name it and meetup offers a group on it. Check out your local meetup options and join a group to start making new friends

3. Volunteer.

Did you know that a great way to feel better is to help someone worse off than you? If you feel isolated or lonely a great way meet and connect with people is to find a place to volunteer. So many organizations need help in one form or another. Not only with this stop you brooding at home, you are bound to make some new friends and connect with those who need help . Believing like you are making a difference by volunteering can help you overcome those lonely feelings.