Loneliness Consultation
Loneliness Consultation
“Nobody wants to be lonely,” may be a line from a pop song, but it’s also a fairly universal truth.
Aloneness and loneliness are used interchangeably about the similarity in the concepts. The difference between the two terms is often ignored. Loneliness is a common issue and is dealt with normally in our society. People often turn a blind eye toward the seriousness of the condition. Loneliness is what feels like being sad about being socially isolated.
To make the distinction, loneliness can also be felt while being with a bunch of people. Being alone is a physical situation or state while loneliness is a mental feeling
Loneliness leaves a person isolated, makes it very hard for the person to connect with others around him/her, overwhelm with the feeling of isolation. It often leads to a downfall in the self-worth of a person thereby proliferating self-doubt.
Loneliness has increased with modernization, since people are engrossed in virtual social communities and networks and don’t have the urge to attend social gathering or stay in touch with family and friends. But, with time, loneliness and lack of companionship makes people vulnerable which affects physical and mental health to increase the chance of mental health disorders.
Chronic loneliness is a term to describe loneliness that’s experienced over a long period of time. While loneliness, and chronic loneliness, aren’t specific mental health conditions, they can still affect your mental and general health.
Common causes of Loneliness are usually the below –
1. Break – ups and heartbreaks
2. Moving to a new city
3. Work from Home
4. Change of school/college/job
5. Inability to fit – in.
6. Death of a loved one.
7. Divorce.
8. Abused and/or rejected by others.
9. Excessive use of social media.
10. Depression .
11. Aging.
12. Living alone for the first time.
13. Lack of meaningful connections.
Symptoms of chronic loneliness involves – decreased energy, feeling foggy or unable to focus, insomnia, interrupted sleep, or other sleep issues, decreased appetite, feelings of self-doubt, hopelessness, or worthlessness, a tendency to get sick frequently, body aches and pains, feelings of anxiousness or restlessness, increased shopping, substance misuse, increased desire to binge-watch shows or movies, etc.
If you’ve been feeling lonely and experience unexplained symptoms such as the above signs of loneliness, talking to a mental health professional could help.
Common complications with long bouts of loneliness are many, to name a few – chronic illness, high cholesterol, emotional distress, diabetes, depression, lower quality of sleep, stress, cognitive decline, etc.
Some tips to help you with loneliness are –
1. Rule out depression as a cause of your loneliness by talking to a doctor or a counsellor.
2. Try out a new hobby
3. Become a volunteer and participate in events happening nearby.
4. Adopt a pet.
5. Stay in touch with a near and dear ones.
6. Make time for exercise.
7. Be in touch with the greenery.
8. Talk to a mental health professional, if you are unable to cope up with Loneliness and work out on the root causes and moving forward.