Are You Feeling Lonely Most of the Time: Know The Reason Behind It!

Loneliness is a human emotion that is subjective in experience and expression based on individual differences. Loneliness is a state of mind, where the social needs of a being aren’t met and they experience a sense of emptiness and being unwanted. The individuals who experience loneliness often want to be with others and talk to them but are unable to do so because of past experiences, fear, or similar concerns. Loneliness is not about being alone in a physical space, it is also experienced by people even when they are surrounded by others. For instance, in a college event, a student may feel lonely as they don’t have any friends to talk to or people are not interested to communicate with them. It is essential to understand the distinction between solitude and loneliness. On one side, solitude is the state of mind where the person wants to be by themselves as they enjoy their own company; on the other side, loneliness is a state of mind where the person wants to be with other people but they are not able to develop that kind of bond or connection to be with others. 

Signs & Symptoms:

There are various emotions that people experience when they feel lonely but it is essential to understand the defined boundaries of loneliness. The signs and symptoms of loneliness are as follows: feeling unable to focus and confused, experiencing sleep concerns, decreased levels of energy, misusing substances, experiencing anxiousness or restlessness, loss of appetite, headaches and body aches, feeling hopelessness and doubting self, getting ill frequently, being more involved in artificial intelligence, feeling isolated and insecure, feeling empty and sad, and ruminating about past experiences.

Causes:

There are several life events that can actually lead an individual to experience loneliness, which is as follows:

• Job changes: When people try to look out for job opportunities it is not that they always get the job in their neighborhoods. Many shifts from their native places in the hopes to get a decent job and providing a better life for their family members back at home. This can impact how that person feels and experiences loneliness.
• Living by yourself: There are various circumstances that require people to change their city and go to a place to live alone but this increases when the pandemic hit us all in recent years. People had to be away from each other even when they were under the same roof due to the protocols to deal with the pandemic. This made the life of people stressful and emotionally a big hurdle in their path to happiness.
• No Close Friends: When we are in a new place or even when we are in the same place that we have lived, it is not easy to find people with whom you can share your feelings and call them up when in need. Not everyone that we meet in our lives can be our confidant or trustworthy.
• Loss of loved ones: Due to the natural order of life, we sometimes lose the ones that we love the most and their loss is at times too hard for us to bounce back in our routine life. There are people who are unable to restore a balance to their lives, and thus experience loneliness.
• Financial Concerns: Unemployment, loss of job, lower-income jobs, multiple jobs, loans, and debt are reasons that make it difficult for the person to interact and maintain a stable social life and connect with other people.
• Health concerns: Poor physical and mental health concerns are also contributing to creating circumstances that make it tougher for people to connect with others. 

Treatment & Coping strategies:

There are various strategies to address the concern of loneliness based on the level of severity experienced by the person. Some of them are: acknowledging that you are actually facing an issue of loneliness, being thankful every day about everything good that happens in your life (irrespective of how small or big that is), and taking out time for family and friends to maintain some valuable relationships in life, finding the art form that makes you feel better, practicing the self-care routine or hobbies that make you feel that you have control over your time and how you spend it, volunteering and participating in social events to connect with people for a cause and supporting others, going out and communicating with others to resolve nervousness and bond with others, and seeking help from mental health professionals.

Conclusion:

Loneliness is a serious mental health and physical health concern, that impacts all spheres of our lives. It is essential for us to talk to our confidants about what we are experiencing. It is also significant to understand what we are feeling and then seek the required help from professionals as necessary.