A Survival Guide To Loneliness

Tired of being alone? Bonnie Vaughan asks the experts what you can do to switch up your social situation

 

Loneliness is big news right now, and the news isn’t good. A recent Lifeline survey revealed that 60 per cent of Australians say they often feel lonely, and more than 80 per cent think that as a society we’re just getting lonelier. Research has also determined that loneliness can actually be deadly: its impact on health is as harmful as smoking and obesity, contributing to cardiovascular disease, anxiety and depression, dementia, and a shortened life span. With the number of people living alone on the rise in Australia, the US and the UK, loneliness has become an epidemic of our times.

To be lonely isn’t simply about being isolated; many people choose to be on their own and are perfectly happy. Loneliness is a subjective state in which you feel socially and emotionally disconnected from those around you. Indeed, it’s possible and extremely common to feel lonely in a marriage or a relationship, or among a large group. And it doesn’t discriminate: loneliness can strike at any stage in your life.

Do you find yourself feeling as if you’re not genuinely understood and accepted by those around you? Do you long for someone to confide in, to share your life with? Does it sometimes feel as if no one cares and that you’re truly alone in the world? These are some of the symptoms of loneliness. We spoke to two experts – clinical psychologist Dr Michelle Lim, a founding member of the Australian Coalition to End Loneliness, and Alan Woodward, executive director of Lifeline Research Foundation – about how you can break free of feeling lonely.

Acknowledge loneliness