The silent EPIDEMIC

SUFFERING ALONE IS NO LONGER AN OPTION

- By Belad Al-karkhey.

Have you been feeling lonely, even when you weren't alone? Or maybe you felt unseen or unheard? It's time to talk about loneliness, and all the ways it might be holding you back from living your life. Once, talking about loneliness was an uncomfortable conversation, but now its acknowledged being lonely is an issue faced by many people – yet it doesn't have to be.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S WRONG

While it isn't a mental health condition itself, loneliness can have serious impacts on your health in numerous ways. In fact, it can affect your physical health as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to Lifeline Australia. Social relationships are a basic human necessity – where would we be if it weren't for the meaningful connections and people in our lives?