As you may know, last week was Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is loneliness. We can all experience loneliness from time to time, and since the pandemic, this has become a lot more common. With us all having to stay at home without being able to see loved ones and losing the ability to work around our colleagues, it is difficult to now adapt back to what we would have once seen as ‘normal’.
“If you are feeling lonely, you are not alone”.
The difference between being alone and feeling lonely
Something Dr Alex George has spoken about on his social media. The difference between being alone and feeling lonely. He discusses how we should encourage doing things independently and feeling comfortable with our thoughts, e.g. going for a walk or to a cafè. This can be daunting and can take time to be able to do.
“Loneliness is the feeling we experience when there is a negative gap between the social connections you want and those we have”. Sometimes we don’t want to feel like a burden to others, and this is where reaching out to our loved ones can be challenging. However, this is not the case, and in most cases meeting up or having a chat with someone about how you are feeling is not only good for you but can also help them.
What can you do
Writing down your feelings can make you make sense of your thoughts when they are circling your head. This exercise can help find the cause or reasons for feeling lonely and sometimes form a solution to how you can overcome this.
When feeling lonely at work, sparking up a conversation with a colleague is a great way to remind yourself you aren’t alone. When working from home, requesting a phone or zoom call to discuss a job or task you are doing can lead to friendly conversations that aren’t leaving you stuck behind a computer. Another excellent way to help with loneliness is to do things you enjoy. Whatever it may be, you may find that you can meet new people with the same interests as you.
Who can support you
If you feel like you are struggling with loneliness, you must reach out to those around you. This can be daunting at times, but you never know. Someone could be feeling the same way. Our therapists can help you if you feel like you can’t reach out to friends or family. Book a consultation through our booking link, and we can help you on your journey.
https://www.therapethical.com/booking/
Valuable sources for when you feel lonely:
If you need support but are concerned about the financial impact, please book a session with us at https://www.therapethical.com/booking. We provide affordable mental health to everyone.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are there – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them free on 116 123 or email them at jo@samaritans.org.
The British Red Cross have a support line if you feel lonely and want to talk to someone.
Tel 0808 196 3651
Calm Zone is a helpline and webchat offering support to men in the UK who need to talk or are in crisis.
Tel 0800 585858