Q: Before you can start getting rid of your loneliness, you need to determine what it is exactly that is making you feel lonely. Do you miss a certain person, or a particular place? Do you generally just feel like you don't have many friends, or that the friends you do have aren't close to you? Determining why you're lonely may give you a solution for your problem right away - not everyone can tell where their feelings of loneliness originate. If you're missing a particular person or place that you can't visit, much of your problem-solving will need to be introspective. If you are desirous of more friends or feel isolated, than your solution will more likely be to get out and meet new people. Try journaling if you're not sure why you feel lonely. Be as specific as possible. Don't be embarrassed at the cause(s) of your loneliness. It is a perfectly normal feeling that everyone struggles with at one time or another. Before you make any other changes, you should look to your own health for indicators of causes for loneliness. Oftentimes lack of sleep, exercise, and healthy foods can leave you feeling lethargic and depressed, leading to loneliness over time. Spend a week making positive changes to your health; aim to get eight hours of sleep every night, try to fit in at least 30 minutes of physical activity, and cut out junk food/incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. If nothing else, doing these things will give you more energy and reduce stress, which overall impacts your positive outlook and feelings of happiness. Studies have shown that poor sleep and lack of physical activity are correlated to feelings of loneliness. Certain foods - particularly fruits and vegetables - contain hormones that increase happiness. It's easy to become overwhelmed by isolation or a massive 'to-do' list, and not only run out of time in your life for people but also for your favorite activities. It's much more difficult to feel lonely if you're actively enjoying an activity, especially one that you have some skill or practice with. If you've got a hobby that you love or are interested in, set aside some time each day to work on starting it up (again). Whenever you are hit with those pangs of loneliness, make a conscious effort to go spend time on your hobby. Some new hobby ideas might include: Reading regularly Playing a sport Going hiking Taking up knitting or crocheting Learning to cook, or trying new recipes Painting Gardening On a similar tangent to picking up a hobby, working on a large project can be a great way to distract yourself from present feelings of loneliness, and to help give yourself purpose when all you might want to do is curl up in bed. What counts as a 'big' project will vary from person to person; for one individual, it might mean painting the interior of their house. For another, it might mean starting a new degree or set of classes through an online university. Whatever your 'big' project is, set daily or weekly goals so that you have something to focus your hard work on. You won't have time to feel lonely, with all the dedication you'll be pouring into your project. Some big project ideas might include: Learning a new language Writing your own book Building a large piece of furniture Learning a new instrument Building a car or motorcycle from parts Starting a small business Starting (or finishing) a degree The great outdoors has been a healing power for millions of people over the years. And while it might sound counter-intuitive to get over your loneliness by going outside alone, your time spent in nature will likely improve your emotional state and banish those feelings of loneliness. Sunshine helps increase endorphins in your system, making you feel happier and less focused on your loneliness. Plus, exploring new places, getting your blood pumping, and seeing your natural local will all change your focus and balance your mental state. Look for good hikes in your area, or simply explore a new park. Try going kayaking or on a bike ride, if you're not interested in just walking around.
A: Get your emotions in order. Focus on your health. Bring an old hobby back to life. Start a big project. Spend more time outside.

Q: Ask yourself a series of questions about how you performed over the semester in order to analyze what went well and what didn't go so well. What did you end up doing differently after deciding to raise your grades? Did any of it work? How much did your grades improved, if at all? What did you find worked really well for you, and what did you find worked really badly for you? Is there anything you'd like to do differently next time? Think about the study methods you took on that really helped and make sure you build them into your permanent repertoire. Think about what didn't work and why it didn't work. Maybe you tried to study at home and found it was more distracting than you'd like, etc. Make sure to avoid these items in the future. Buy yourself an academic calendar and/or a large wall-mounted white-board calendar. Clean up the space you intend to use for studying, remove anything you don't need (books, magazines, comics, etc.) and organize the things you do need (pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes, etc.) Make your study space a distraction-free zone. Organize your study materials in a way that makes sense to you and allows you to find things quickly. Have a separate notebook or binder for each class you're taking and label them appropriately. Have pens and highlighters of different colours to signify different things in your notes and textbooks. For example, blue might mean examples, whereas yellow means definitions. Turn your cell phone or tablet off while studying. And if you're not using it, turn the wi-fi off on your computer while studying. Don't give into the temptation to check your email or text messages! If you're serious about improving your grades, your teachers will help. Ask them their advice on what to focus on in their class and what methods of studying work best for their material. Ask them if you can review assignments with them before you hand them in. Keep track of your teachers' contact information and office hours in a centralized location. Each week review where you are in each course and determine if you need to take advantage of your teacher's office hours, and if you do, schedule it in. When asking for advice, try to avoid saying things like "What's important in your class?" or "What do I need to do to get an A?" These suggest that you aren't actually invested in the class. Instead, ask questions such as "What types of questions do your exams usually focus on? I'd like to know how to improve my note-taking" or "What advice would you give a student who really wants to do well?" Work with friends or classmates, as a group, to learn the material and work on the assignments. Quiz each other. Do sample tests together. Take turns "teaching" each other the material. It is advantageous, but not necessary, to have some structure to your study group, such as: a pre-determined meeting time and place, specific study session goals, and an informal leader or moderator. Study group members do not need to be your friends. In fact, it might be better if they weren't. Getting together with your friends to study might turn into socialization time, which isn't helpful. Make sure you always get a good night's rest. Eat properly every day. And exercise as often as you can. Taking care of yourself physically will help make sure you can take care of yourself mentally. Taking care of yourself also means taking breaks when studying, like getting up and walking around every hour, and rewarding yourself for meeting your study goals. Tutors can be folks you've hired to spend time working with you on a specific subject, but it can also include your school's success centres. Most post-secondary institutions have tutoring centres (manned by graduate students), writing centres (that offer both seminars and feedback on actual papers), and success centres (where professionals can provide you guidance and feedback). Some of this extra help is free, while some has a cost associated with it. If you're interested in hiring a tutor, ask your teacher for recommendations. They'll know which former students did well in their class and who might be able to help you.
A:
Complete a post-semester assessment. Get yourself organized. Talk to your teacher(s) in advance. Join or start a study group. Take care of yourself physically. Get a tutor.