No, I do not mean cross-fit, or hiking, or a solo sport like running or surfing / skiing / skateboarding or planting trees, or even a leisurely activity like boardgames or a sedentary activity like video games. Those are all very worthy, but compared to all the benefits that a team sport provides, they fall short.

You'll be killing multiple stones with a single bird. Get exercise, meet people, feel rejuvenated, better appetite, great sleep etc.

Good friendships are built on shared experiences. Taking on a challenge and winning together is awesome. You'll make friends - the kind who you can turn to and the kind who you'll drive across four states for.

You'll learn about your strengths and weaknesses, and learn to become a team player if you aren't already one!

You'll strengthen your mind and it will make you a better entrepreneur! Sometimes you'll meet people who rub you the wrong way. You'll learn to breathe, breathe some more, and play it cool. And you'll learn to still play with them (or against them! ;)).

I can't recommend finding a team sport highly enough. There are leagues, there are pickup games. If you don't like a particular sport, try another one =).

And the way you do that is by thinking differently from other people. So the very nature of the process means you are out of step with the rest of the world and will have difficulty relating to others going about life in the here and now before you have changed the world and made it different in some way.

So trying too hard to stop being lonely is potentially a barrier to success.

It might be better to blog or keep a journal -- to "talk to yourself" rather than someone else in order to sort your thoughts and feelings. Expect that this will get better after you are through some critical stage and no longer need to carve out the mental space to intentionally think different from the rest of the world.

As for how I cope- I live in Los Angeles and make use of my surroundings. I take walks every day when I need a break. I go grocery shopping. I cook. I break my day up so it’s not just constant business.

I also got a second dog that was a puppy (8 weeks old) and have been raising and training her. Helps to have some activity around the house, and she naturally makes me take breaks throughout the day.

Either way, starting a company is a lonely business. Finding ways to embrace the loneliness and work with it helps a bunch.

Learn a side skill like an instrument, artform etc which you can learn while you building this.

- Meet with co-workers or customers whenever possible to motivate

- As youeseh mentions, hobbies that are done in groups (For me its sufing & biking)