Why a Healthy Lifestyle Can’t Fix Loneliness

• Understanding Loneliness
• Take our Loneliness Test
• Find a therapist near me

Key points

• Research confirms you can be busy but still feel lonely and disconnected.
• A connection, and adventure brings tears to my eyes every single time. Loss can bring a sense of discombobulation that can challenge who we are and how we see ourselves. Anyone who has lost a loved one knows this. But it doesn’t have to be the loss of a person that brings us to feel alone. Retirement, becoming empty nesters, or even just a changing sense of self can alter how connected we feel with the world around us. How do these changes impact our physical and <a loneliness' to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to express the glory of being alone.” ― Paul Tillich,
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  Why You Can Feel Lonely Even When You Are Loved

  

  Why the Idea of a Loneliness Epidemic Won’t Die

  I found it really illuminating, and I’ve made some changes to my personal and professional life as a result. Moving through life stages brings both challenges and opportunities in both the frequency of social contacts and how connected we feel, and it’s important we consider our own relationship with these.

  How to improve

  Identifying where your weaker spots are is important. Getting out and meeting people can feel intimidating for different reasons at different stages of life, but treating it as an important lifestyle factor, like sleep, nutrition, and diet, can help.

  As the study suggests, having a healthier lifestyle overall can help mitigate the effects of isolation. Feeling lonely can be harder to deal with. If it’s something that is swamping your life or having a serious impact on your ability to function, it’s important to discuss it with your doctor.

  But otherwise it might be more of a tweak in how you spend your time. Less may be more. Instead of seeing friends who leave you feeling uplifted and heard just once a year, it might be worth finding a way to add a second meet-up. Similarly, the weekly coffee with a nearby friend that leaves you feeling stressed or frustrated might be worth swapping for a trip to the gym, or something else that gives you more back.

  And if you need a quick reminder of how connections can be found in the most unexpected places, there is always Up.