Loneliness is an emotional state of feeling unhappy,
sad and depressed due to social isolation. Almost everyone experiences
loneliness at some point in their life. A person suffering from loneliness will
crave to build social connections. But loneliness can even be felt when
surrounded by people. According to various surveys and reports, it is seen that
around 50% of people are more likely to feel lonely in India. It is now
recognized as a social problem.
Causes of loneliness
1.
Social Media and Internet – Social
media is used for building connection with people but studies suggest that
spending more time on social media can cause loneliness and depression. Social
media can’t substitute connections in real world. It can just give you a
temporary feeling of inclusion. Using lots of social media can bring poor
results for your overall well-being like depression, social anxiety, low
self-esteem, sadness and bad sleep.
2.
Low self-esteem and fear of rejection
– Loneliness and low self-esteem is interconnected. People choose to isolate
themselves from people due to low self-esteem and for the fear of being judged.
Negative perceptions about our own self and also bullying can be a cause of low
self-esteem. People still feel that they are pressurized to fit in with others
and when they fail to fit in, they distance themselves and it is reasonable to
feel lonely in that case.
3.
Adjusting to new situations – Whether
it be moving to a new place, changing jobs or living alone for the first time,
it can be difficult to adapt to new things and to start socializing. And poor
social skills can contribute more to your loneliness. New changes might seem
exciting at first but it can be overwhelming and there will be moments when you
feel lonely.
4.
Genetics – Loneliness is a heritable
trait and genes can also contribute to loneliness. It can also play a role in
depression and obesity. Chronic loneliness increases our risk of heart diseases
due to constant stress and anxiety.
5.
Death and aging – Loneliness can
damage your heart and people are most likely to feel lonely when they lose
someone close, specially their partner. The loneliness of grief is painful
because the person is forever gone and you can never fill up the void created
by them.
People feel lonelier as they grow
older. There can be many reasons for it such as poor health, loss of partner
and also it becomes difficult in old age to maintain social connections.
Symptoms of loneliness
§
Always low on energy
§
Feeling hopeless as if you are good
for nothing. Negative perceptions about yourself and the future.
§
Feeling anxious and depressed most of
the times
§
Shopping a lot i.e. trying to fill up
the void of social connections by materialistic things
§
Getting sick very often
§
Gaining weight due to lack of
motivation and energy
§
Spending a lot of time on social
media and talking to friends online
§
No close friends, feeling as if no
one understands what you are going through
§
Feeling drained when trying to build
connections
§
Unable to forgive someone easily
§
Getting frustrated easily and having
little or no patience
§
Eating unhealthy food and having poor
sleep quality
How to deal with loneliness?
Consider going to therapy when you feel like it is
being too much for you.
Engage in volunteering activities. Contributing to the
society often feels good and it is a great chance to meet new people.
List down all the productive activities that you can
do when you feel lonely. Or join a class that brings you closer to like-minded
people.
Practice self-kindness. Blaming and doubting yourself
is the not the solution to overcome loneliness. Loneliness is the best time to
practice self-love.
Try to build stronger connections in real life. Engage
more in social activities.
Practice mindfulness and focus on what really matters
to you.
Get a pet. They provide unconditional love and
companionship.
Some facts about loneliness
1.
Loneliness can make a person more
pessimistic about their future.
2.
Loneliness is contagious.
3.
Loneliness affects mental health and
physical health as well.
4.
Loneliness can be deadly as it
increases your chance of dying by 26%.
5.
Loneliness is worse than obesity and
smoking.
6.
Loneliness impacts the efficiency of
our immune system.
7.
Even married people feel lonely.
Reports say that around 60% of lonely people are married.
8.
Loneliness can affect anyone, no
matter how social they are.
9.
Being alone doesn’t automatically
mean that you are lonely.
10. Loneliness
teaches you the value and importance of relationships.
Loneliness is a serious health problem and needs to be
addressed. So, reach out to people and don’t hesitate to ask for help. Vandrevala
Foundation: +91 7304599836, help@vandrevalafoundation.com
