Feeling lonely is a common experience amongst individuals nowadays. Moreover, during the period of COVID-19, it increased and left people devastated. However, there are still ways to make yourself feel more connected. These ways may help you to feel less isolated:

• Listening to music,
• Talking to a friend on the phone call,
• Walking outside,
• Indulging in your favorite activities.

There’s a lot of loneliness going around, and it’s very detrimental to society across the world.

Individuals experience loneliness differently based on their own unique experiences of loneliness. The treatment and prevention of this potentially damaging mental health condition can vary dramatically. As there is not a single common cause of this mental issue.

Furthermore, when a person is lonely for a long period of time, he/she may feel that life is useless and there is no point in living. Additionally, there are also physical symptoms that describe a person’s loneliness in a good manner:

• One is suffering from headaches and pains,
• One is not able to sleep properly or is facing sleep disturbances,
• A person’s immune system is not working properly or there is the weakness that may occur as a result of this illness.

A person who is lonely is not the same as someone who is socially isolated. Feeling lonely does not have to be a part of being alone. The feeling of loneliness can also occur even if you are surrounded by other people. 

In contrast to loneliness, social isolation occurs when people don’t regularly interact with each other and is caused by feeling distressed when alone. The effects of loneliness include depression, social isolation, and low social skills according to a recent study.

In addition to this, some experts argue that loneliness is not necessarily connected to being alone. Rather, loneliness plays a role in your mental state if you feel alone and isolated.

The difference between loneliness and solitude

Although loneliness and isolation are detrimental to both physical and mental health, being alone does not necessarily constitute being lonely. Solace is actually beneficial for mental health in a number of ways, including allowing people to recharge and focus more effectively.

• Loneliness: Feelings of loneliness are characterized by a sense of isolation, even though one would like to be socially connected. The separation, rejection, or abandonment is sometimes perceived as involuntary.
• Solitude: The act of solitude, however, is voluntary. It is important for individuals who enjoy spending a lot of time alone to maintain positive social relationships that they can fall back upon when they feel lonely. Although they still interact with others, there is a balance between these interactions and alone time.

An Overview of Loneliness Causes

While loneliness is a problem experienced by many, there are still some causes and triggers that people are still unaware of. Experiencing sadness can only be temporary, but loneliness is something deeper, as loneliness can go beyond just sadness. When loneliness is long-term and severe, it may cause health problems.

People who are lonely often have painful pasts or previous experiences that contribute to their loneliness. A history of poor support from family or close ones, trauma, mental or physical abuse, loss of someone special, and many other negative life experiences with close family or close friends can contribute to more frequent episodes of loneliness. 

Hence, loneliness can be attributed to a variety of demographic factors such as

• Having a close family member or friend pass away:  The pain of losing someone who had a special connection to you can be hard to describe to others. Furthermore, traumatic deaths often make this worse. A person can still feel alone when they are grieving despite having a lot of people around them.
• Alone at Home: It doesn’t matter how much one enjoys living alone in your cozy isolated apartment, one can still feel isolated at times. Sometimes, while staying home alone, one craves the company of someone and the chance to share one’s feelings with them.
• An alteration of living circumstances: The feeling of being alone when moving into a new house or place can be overwhelming when one has never lived there before. The process of adjusting to life changes is not easy for everyone. Adapting to changes in circumstances or a new environment takes time for people with different personalities.
• A physical or mental disability: It is important to recognize that physical and mental disabilities have a profound effect on one’s quality of life, one’s social life, and one’s emotional well-being. It has been found that chronic illness sufferers, who suffer from physical and mental ailments, frequently experience loneliness.
• Having no close friends or relatives: The need for inclusion in close relationships is fundamental to human nature, according to psychologists. Otherwise, people usually start to feel alone. Hence, the social nature of human beings cannot be denied.
• After retirement: Depression, mental health problems, and physical illness are well known to be associated with social isolation and loneliness. Retirement is a time when loneliness can be a serious issue due to a loss of self-worth and financial worries.
• Financially struggling: There has been evidence that worries related to finances are correlated with psychological health issues like depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. You can suffer adverse mental and physical health effects as a result of financial problems. Depressed or anxious feelings can result from debt or other financial difficulties. Furthermore, these feelings drag a person to an isolated state.

Effects of Loneliness

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The health of an individual depends on the quality of their social connections. Mental and physical health can be adversely affected by prolonged loneliness, including premature death. Chronic loneliness can also lead to the following long-term risks:

• Deterioration of cognitive abilities: Physical inactivity, depression, insomnia, high blood pressure, inflammation, and poor sleep may all contribute to loneliness’ contribution to cognitive decline. Researchers have found that loneliness can increase dementia risk by as much as 20%. In fact, loneliness exerts a similar effect as diabetes, physical inactivity, hypertension, and hearing loss, which are well-established dementia risk factors.
• High blood pressure (hypertension): When we are lonely, our blood pressure may increase by the same amount as when we lose weight and exercise. High loneliness scores are also associated with higher blood pressure in both men and women aged 50 to 70. An individual with a lonely personality has a blood pressure that is 30 points more than an individual who isn’t lonely.
• Alzheimer’s Disease: In recent studies, it has been demonstrated that social isolation is associated with shrinkage of parts of the brain that play an influential role in cognition. Furthermore, being socially isolated was associated with an increased risk of dementia by more than 25 percent. There was a strong correlation between social isolation and dementia risk independent of whether one was depressed or feeling lonely, which has been associated with dementia risk in other studies.
• Depression: Depression symptoms will be more severe if an individual has a high level of loneliness. An increase of one point on the scale of loneliness was interlinked to an increase of more than 15 percent in average depressive symptoms severity scores, according to the study.
• Obesity:  The body’s cortisol levels can rise when a person is chronically lonely. When under stress, your body produces cortisol. It is possible to become overweight, lose muscle mass, have trouble concentrating, and develop high blood pressure when cortisol levels become too high.
• Heart disease:  Heart disease and stroke are more likely to occur in people who spend a lot of time alone and feel lonely on a regular basis. Men are more likely to suffer from premature death due to a lack of social connection than women. Loneliness and isolation are connected with increased inflammation, and those who are socially isolated are more likely to experience chronic stress symptoms.
• Weakening of the immune system: There is a lower immune response and more inflammation in lonely people than in people who do not feel lonely. It is generally believed that brain activity connected to negative emotions lowers immunity. The immune system has been negatively affected by loneliness and stress in a number of previous studies.

Your quality of life can be adversely affected by chronic loneliness. In addition to depression and other mental health conditions, these feelings can lead to more serious health issues if left untreated. Mental health professionals can offer you assistance if you struggle with loneliness. You can improve your overall well-being by learning how to cope with your emotions with the help of a therapist.

Loneliness and Health Risks

Physical and mental health are adversely affected by loneliness, including:

• Functional changes in the brain
• A lack of decision-making ability, lack of concentration.
• The antisocial behavior of individuals
• Stress levels are elevated
• Mental illness and suicide
• Symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease
• Various cardiovascular diseases and strokes
• Learning and memory are impaired
• Substance abuse and abuse of alcohol

Loneliness Symptoms: What Does It Feel Like?

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It is evident that loneliness exists when people do not have satisfying relationships with others physically, socially, or emotionally. The lonely often feel isolated no matter where they are and lack close relationships. Lonely individuals may feel invisible to others when they reach out to other people.

Individuals who are lonely may display the following signs:

• Shyness, timidity, or introversion when interacting socially
• Not able to connect easily with other people in social situations
• Frequently crying and showing a sad expression
• The tendency to isolate yourself more and refrain from reaching out to others
• Food intake that is unhealthy
• Feeling fatigued and not getting enough sleep
• Getting sick more often and seeing the doctor more often

Loneliness can be indicated both externally and internally. Indicates that are internal to an individual are their emotions, while indicators that are external are what others observe. Loneliness is characterized by feelings of not being understood, of being avoided, and of feeling empty within.

Loneliness can be solved by marriage?

Recent studies have suggested that there is a correlation between feeling less lonely and being married, earning more money, and having a higher level of education. In addition to physical health symptoms, loneliness is accompanied by low-quality social networks, living alone, and having a small social network. 

Loneliness: Coping and Preventing

It is also possible to differ in coping strategies and prevention strategies depending on the cause of loneliness. You should seek to establish strong, healthy connections with others to satisfy your social needs.

You can build emotional connections in many ways, but you should seek professional help if you need it.

• Engage in hobbies you enjoy: By engaging in activities you enjoy, you can meet others with similar interests. Whether it’s a book club, art class, fitness group, or other activity that allows you to interact with others, find something that interests you.
• Make sure you eat well: When you live a healthy lifestyle, you’re likely to stay healthy and be less likely to develop chronic health conditions. That could affect your social life.
• Exercise regularly
• Self-care
• Volunteer for an organization you support: Becoming a volunteer is not only a satisfying experience, but it can also provide you with opportunities to meet others who share a passion for that organization.
• Consider joining support groups: Support groups are great for connecting with others who you have something in common with, such as a physical or mental condition.
• Keep in touch with family and friends: Staying in touch, even through a phone call or video chat, can promote your emotional well-being and reduce loneliness.

The most important thing is to listen to what you want from social connections, no matter what your interests are. You may feel less lonely or isolated if you engage in this activity, and you may be able to improve the quality of your life in general.

Companionship Helps Combat Loneliness

Younger generations are particularly susceptible to loneliness, according to statistics. There are various reasons that support this belief:

Part of the blame can be attributed to the rise of the internet and social media.

In experts’ opinion, quality rather than quantity of social interaction is the key to combating loneliness. That means if one has even a few numbers of close friends but still spending time with them makes him/her happy then that is worth having numerous friends with whom you still feel alone.

Loneliness can be warded off with a few close friends, as well as reduce the health consequences associated with this feeling. Researchers have found that people feel more at ease when they are able to interact face-to-face with friends.

Loneliness is contagious

According to a study, loneliness may spread like a virus. Additionally, researchers also mention that spending time with lonely people increases the likelihood of feeling lonely for non-lonely individuals.

Managing Loneliness: When to Get Help

It is inevitable for everyone to feel lonely at some point in their lives due to one reason or another. But if the problem gets severe one should seek professional advice. The following are the situations that indicate that now is the time you get consulted by a healthcare professional: Longer episodes of loneliness: For those who feel lonely for more than a specific period of time and have been experiencing loneliness for a time span of two weeks to two months approximately.
Daily life starts getting affected: Feelings of loneliness can make you less productive at work. A primary care doctor can refer you to a therapist or mental healthcare professional if you don’t have a regular one.

Recap

In times of loneliness, people may feel isolated and disconnected from others, even while being surrounded by numerous people. It is very miserable for an individual to be lonely, which results in a very unhappy life for that individual.

A person suffering from this disorder may have changed lives, had mental health issues, had poor self-esteem, or had certain personality traits that contribute to the condition. There are also serious health risks associated with loneliness, including a decreased level of mental well-being and physical issues.

What do Healthierfolks want to say?

An individual’s health can be adversely affected by loneliness, so it’s important to recognize the signs of loneliness. The fact that you are alone does not necessarily mean you are lonely. It does not justify the fact that the person is lonely simply because he or she is alone.

Getting social support and forming new connections with the people around you can assist you a lot during the period of loneliness. Other than that, if it negatively impacts your well-being, that would be a serious issue. Engage in some conversation with people in your life and work on forming new relationships. Talk to a therapist if you continue to struggle. You don’t have to do it alone. There are people who can help you no matter what you do.

You never know how strongly a mental illness can strike you, leaving your abilities impaired, so never take it lightly. The most effective course of action, when faced with a lack of options, is to consult with healthcare providers.