Mental Health Awareness Week 2022- Loneliness

 The theme of mental health awareness week this year is loneliness which is why I thought doing a blog post on loneliness would be very apt. I think it is safe to say with the recent covid pandemic, everyone has felt a level of lonely. It is important to practice healthy coping mechanisms to combat when you feel lonely because I promise, however isolated you feel- you are not alone!

What is loneliness

I think it is safe to say, that everyone feels lonely from time to time. It is a very personal thing, so everyone’s feelings of loneliness are very different. A common way to describe loneliness is the feeling we get when our need for rewarding social contact and relationships are not met. It is important to highlight that the feeling of loneliness is not always the same as being alone. It is very possible to be in a relationship, part of a family and have loads of social contact and still feel lonely- especially is you don’t feel cared for or understood by the people around you.

Loneliness and mental health problems

Loneliness is not a mental health problem but being lonely and having mental health problems are strongly linked. If you are struggling with your mental health, you are more likely to feel lonely. For example, due to certain stigmas around some mental illnesses people may struggle to speak up and feel very isolated and lonely because of it. Another example is those who suffer with social anxiety may often feel lonely as they may find it difficult to engage in activities involving other people which can lead to a lack of meaningful social contact.

Feeling lonely can also have a negative impact on your mental health, especially is the feelings have lasted a long time. Loneliness has been associated with increased risk of certain mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Tips to help manage loneliness

. Take it slow: If you have felt lonely for a long time, trying to reach out to people could be terrifying. So, it is important to take it slow and not to rush into anything. For example, you could start by doing an online activity involving other people or you could join a class involving other people (like an art class) where you are not expected to interact with the others too much. Simply knowing other people are there may be enough to help with some feelings of loneliness but either way it is a great place to start.

. Try peer support: There are so many services out there to help with things like this- so many networks out there to help support each other when you are feeling lonely or isolated. You could try a befriender service, an online community or even contact your local mind services to see what other types of peer support there may be in your area.

. Talk to your friends and family People are so busy in their own lives that sometimes we get caught up and forget to be there for those around us. Opening up to your friends and family about feeling lonely so they can help support you more in better ways ois super important.

. talking to a therapist. Therapy can allow you to explore and understand your feelings of loneliness and can help you to deal with healthy ways of dealing with them. EG. Therapy can provide a space to discuss emotional problems which could limit you from creating satisfying emotional connections.

. Look after yourself: loneliness can have a big impact on your general well-being which may make it even harder to make positive steps to feeling better. Try make sure you are getting enough sleep, thinking about your diet, spending time outside and avoiding drugs/alcohol so you will find it easier to start steps to feeling better.