The major purpose behind the invention of the Telephone, Internet, and Social Media platforms, so on and so forth, was to: bring everyone together and connected. We are the most connected society in the history of mankind but the irony here is that we are also the loneliest of all.
Loneliness is a state of mind, irrespective of the number of people you are surrounded with from time to time. It is a universal feeling, everyone has felt it at one point in their lives but when this feeling of emptiness and lack of human, social contact and connections persists for a longer period and eventually becomes Chronic Loneliness, it becomes a health crisis.
The Loneliness Epidemic
As per a May 2021 study published by Survey Center on American Life, “ Nearly half of the American population (49%) reports having three or fewer close friends, also around 13% of American people reported to have no close friends left to rely upon”.
The Mental Health Foundation, a UK-based charity conducts Mental Health Awareness Week in May for the past 22 years, this year the theme was “loneliness”. As per their reports, loneliness is affecting thousands of people across the UK, yet so many of them are still ashamed and embarrassed to admit this feeling of loneliness.”
Their reports also suggest that “there are some groups of people who are especially likely to feel lonely: young adults 16-24 age groups, people already dealing with mental health problems and the people from some minority ethnic groups.”
In 2018, the United Kingdom first appointed the Minister for loneliness, to address the emerging loneliness epidemic spread especially among the elderly population of the country.
In 2021, Japan became the second country to launch a cabinet and appointed a Minister of Loneliness, to tackle the uprising problems of social isolation, suicide rates, and loneliness in the country especially post-pandemic.
Loneliness has a serious threat not only to our mental state but also to our physical health today.
Loneliness vs Solitude
Loneliness is a universal yet subjective experience.
The word Solitude comes from the Latin word solus means “Alone”. The word alone often has negative connotations attached to it, and so does Solitude. The state of Solitude is voluntary, something that you choose, it is the choice of the person who seeks to be alone, with themselves solely because they enjoy that state of being.
Solitude is the state of being alone, whereas Loneliness is the state of being lonely. Loneliness depicts a lack of social connections and meaningful human interactions. When you are alone but not lonely, that is solitude. When you are surrounded by people yet feel lonely, that is loneliness.
Dealing with it
The state of Loneliness demands human connections but those too meaningful ones. The very first step toward dealing with loneliness is to talk about it first.
- Be open to talking – Loneliness is a universal feeling; anyone can experience it in their way. Shut the stigma around this very common feeling and be open to talking about it. Reach out to people and let them in, this could help you build meaningful connections.
- Finding a sense of belonging – You become a part of an activity, community, or a group of people working towards something that fulfills some core purpose or simply just brings you joy, which in itself is an ultimate purpose. It gives you a sense of belonging in return, belonging to a certain community, social group, volunteer group, etc. This boosts your social ties and sense of social support and makes you more resilient and better at coping with stress and other behavioral issues that might otherwise provoke a lonely feeling.
- Is social media a boon or bane for you? – Social networking sites are a great way of connecting with people all around the world. But it has also got its cons, not everything you see on social media is the truth and could bring you joy. Social media could act like a boon or a bane depending on how one uses it. It’s you who knows if it’s working in your favor or against you when to stop the mindless scrolling if it only brings in more jealousy and no joy.
The internet-connected world indeed is our reality today, it’s the fastest way of connecting with anyone in the world, at any time. It does have its fair share of contributions to decreasing loneliness, but it cannot alone tackle the need for human interactions and meaningful social connections. It works only as an aid to physical in-person connections, and not as an alternative. The virtual connections do have a high probability of remaining shallow and phasing out quickly when not turned into in-person meetings or catch-ups.
Blog By: Deebha Sithta