Advertisement feature by Daisy Dixon at Chrysalis
MAY is mental health awareness month and this year’s theme, to be addressed during mental health awareness week on May 9-15, is the impact of loneliness on our mental health wellbeing.
What is loneliness? There can be misconceptions about loneliness – being alone and feeling lonely are different. We can feel lonely in a group of people and at times when we are alone, we can feel happy or even relieved.
Sometimes isolation can contribute to loneliness, but it’s not the only factor. Loneliness isn’t re-stricted to older age groups, in fact young people and students are one of the groups that are at times more effected.
Feeling disconnected, misunderstood, without meaningful connections is what contributes to feel-ing lonely, and we can all feel this at some time during our lives.
When we feel lonely, we can withdraw from friends and family, becoming emotionally and socially disconnected. This can make the feeling more intense, and it can feel challenging to share our deepest feelings, thoughts and experiences compacting the feeling of loneliness further.
The Covid-19 pandemic played an important part in reminding us of the value and importance of meaningful connections and community. During the pandemic many of us felt lonely as we spent less time with family, friends, or familiar faces, and although we are working towards a new normal, connections, communities and relationships have changed.
How can I help myself if I am feeling lonely? A good place to start is admitting that you are feeling lonely. Often there are feelings of shame surrounding loneliness, as the misconceptions can make us feel inadequate in some way.
It’s very helpful to remember that loneliness can be temporary, and it can help remind us that we can work on improving relationships, re-connecting with community, and look for new friends.
Try talking about your feelings, emotions and thoughts to friends, family, or a professional, and give yourself the space to reflect, and see what improvements you can make to feel less lonely.
There are lots of ideas to try, don’t do everything all at once, but make some small changes. For example, consider joining a group or class that focuses on something you enjoy, visit places where other people are, such as the park, café or cinema.
Engaging in your community and feeling like you can contribute to other people’s lives, such as volunteering, can help. Face-to-face meetings and meet ups, can all help the feeling of loneliness improve.
Be mindful of using social media to help combat feeling lonely. Sometimes when we compare our-selves to others, this can intensify the feeling, not reduce it.
Remember we can all fell lonely at times; the key is to slow down for a bit and focus on something you really love or something you’ve always wanted to do.
I believe as human beings we need to feel valued, connected and loved. When we feel lonely, we can listen and learn from this and take the necessary steps to help ourselves and others.
During Mental Health Awareness Week, pick up the phone, talk to an old friend, join the group you have always wanted to, call round and see your friends and family – connect, your mental health will thank you.
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