Let’s talk about loneliness.
It’s too important to ignore.
The statistics, and the feeling when you experience it, are worthy of our attention.
“According to a survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, almost half of all people in the UK (45%) said they have felt lonely since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while a similar proportion (44%) reported feeling lonely more often or always since the pandemic began.”
And if you think of so many people working from home some / all of the time – it is something we may not realise has a profound impact on our wellbeing.
Better to catch this early than react to it late.
There are many collective things underway to solve this but please test / experiment with some of the below for you and people around you.
– Say hello or at least smile at strangers. This signals to other people and their nervous system a sense of connection and safety – we need more of this!
– Connect with someone daily – a coffee, a walk etc. I schedule a daily walk with a neighbour everyday or go to a coffee shop alone or to meet someone to be around people and get a sense of connection.
– Reach out to old people you know or see. They need us more than ever. My friend Mary says the hardest part about being 96 is being alone so much. Her husband passed away years ago, she’s outlived her siblings. It’s tough – reach out and spend time. They just want company.
– Another thing that has a profound impact on our sense of connection is TOUCH! A hug, a handshake, whatever you can do that is appropriate to increase touch will decrease the feelings of loneliness in you and the other person.
– Acts of kindness have a positive impact on you, the other person and people that witness it. Do more of them 🙂
What would you add? How do you pay attention to your sense of connection?
