Deal with Loneliness before it is too late

Deal with Loneliness before it is too late

Psychology fact: Loneliness is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.

Being lonely doesn’t meaning being physically alone. Everyone from time to time has felt lonely and physically one may feel hollow and empty inside as if something is missing within you. Emotionally a person feels alone, sad and ignored. For some this loneliness is short termed but for others this can last a lifetime if untreated. It is a chronic situation for some and may lead to avoiding social interactions altogether. Today’s fast-paced world with its technology has heightened the loneliness. According to research, loneliness is really bad for our health and in many cases may lead to suicidal attempts as well.

Loneliness is a feeling of sadness or distress because of a mismatch between the amounts of social connection a person wants and the amount they have. Many may feel lonely or unconnected with the society even when they are surrounded by people. One can experience loneliness practically anywhere and everywhere. Feeling of loneliness comes as a result of experiencing ill mental health.  

There are some common signs which are associated with loneliness and they affect us in a negative way:

1. Low mood- feeling sad, worthless or hopeless

2. Lack of energy or feeling tired all the time

3. No motivation to do anything

4. Thoughts of suicide

5. Sleep problems such as difficulty in falling asleep- the lonelier the person, the higher the levels of fragmented sleep

6. Inability to connect with others on a deeper more intimate level

7. Negative feelings of self-doubt and self-worth

8. Having no ‘close’ or ‘best friends’.

9. Exhaustion and burn out when trying to engage socially

10. When a person tries to connect or reach out, it’s not reciprocated in the same manner.

Can chronic loneliness lead to health problems?

Prolonged loneliness can affect your health in many ways by driving up cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that your body creates when under stress. High levels of cortisol can lead to high blood pressure, excess weight gain, muscle weakness and problems in concentrating. If this situation is left unchecked, it can lead to more serious medical and emotional problems including depression, anxiety, stroke and heart disease.

Dangers of loneliness

Loneliness increases the likelihood of death and in young teens it heightens the risk for mental health disorders. It can worsen your symptoms and make you stay sick for a long time resulting in lowering down the immune system’s response especially in case of children. It just doesn’t impact your mental health but also physical health and increases the risk of heart attack by 29%.

How to deal with loneliness

The feelings of loneliness can affect anyone- young, old and people at any point of time in life. It is not an abstract condition that affects only certain kinds of people. Loneliness can be due to several factors and can affect both your emotional and physical health in the long-term. Follow the following tips to treat your loneliness-

1. Acknowledge your feelings of loneliness as realizing how you feel is the first critical step to overcome loneliness. Try talking to a counsellor or therapist. They can help you work through the factors that may contribute to it and suggest adequate steps to overcome it as well. They can help you build coping skills that will work best for you.

3. Talk to your family and friends and let them know that you are struggling with loneliness. Don’t isolate yourself because that’s not the solution. Coming out in open is the correct way to deal with it. Letting them know will help you deal with your emotions better.

4. The online world is a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to loneliness and social isolation. Logging on and logging off is all in your hands. Choose wisely, it all depends on you. The online world may contribute to even greater feelings of loneliness and isolation. The world portrayed on social media is completely different from what it is like in reality so try not to get fooled by people’s life on social media because reality is that this is generally not reality. The crux of the situation is that if being online seems more isolated than connected and then that’s the signal for you to log off.

5. Join a group or club to overcome loneliness with In-person connections because access to these groups and clubs can help you overcome loneliness. It’s a great way to make like-minded friends and work through your situation and help each other.