Is loneliness a disease? Read how to cope with it.
Introduction:
Loneliness and Solitude:
Loneliness specifically occurs when people feel left out in their social interactions. When people attach certain kinds of expectations to others (Like my friend will remember my birthday, they will appreciate me for my success, etc.) and others do not meet their expectations (maybe not intentionally), then this kind of situation will put them into a state of loneliness. Loneliness has a bad impact on our health. People who are lonely have more chances of psychiatric disorders and cognitive issues.
Whereas solitude is a state of loneliness in which people enjoy being lonely and spend quality time with themselves in order to make a better understanding of themselves. Solitude has a positive impact on our brain making it relaxed and sharper to work properly.
What impact does loneliness have on our brain?
According to Katherine Peters MD, Ph.D., FAAN, associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Duke University “Loneliness can change the neurochemistry of the brain, turning off the dopamine neurons, which trigger the reward response, and causing some degeneration in the brain when the reward response is not activated”. So, according to psychology loneliness has a huge impact on our mental health by reducing dopamine release which is quite essential for us to perform our tasks efficiently. Loneliness also affects our memory and decision-making skills. If loneliness is not dealt with early then it can lead to dementia ( it's a disease in which we lose cognitive functioning and have trouble controlling emotions.)
Which events give rise to Loneliness?
As it’s a world of technology, everyone is busy managing their social media accounts and busy in their own life. No one has the time to spend some quality time with their dear ones. People lack connection with each other. As technology has advanced so much but today in this globally connected world people are much lonelier than before. According to a global survey, approximately 33% of adults feel lonely. This feeling is because everyone is busy in their lives and no one is actually available to listen to our problems and our feelings which in turn makes us feel lonely.
Loneliness arises from such events:
When no one listens to us.
When our community takes us wrong.
When nobody provides us validation.
Social anxiety.
Low self-esteem.
Death of some dear one.
Childhood emotional neglect.
Lack of support.
How to cope with loneliness effectively?
Loneliness is a condition with which we can deal easier if we find it out early. There are certain steps we have to take to combat our loneliness.Spend time with yourself:
This might seem strange to you that loneliness is basically feeling alone and then how being alone with yourself can make you feel good. But it is a good practice, I personally do this whenever I feel lonely. Whenever you feel lonely, sit with yourself, talk to yourself, talk about all your accomplishments, list out your failures and extract positive things from them, list your goals, and list the things that make you happy (like listening to music, reading books, going for a walk, watching a nice documentary, etc) and exclude people and other fellows from them. And in your loneliness distract your mind and do the things that make you happy.Pet a dog or a cat:
Being alone can be greatly reduced by petting a dog or cat. These animals will be by your side constantly, so you can go for walks with them, take care of them, and play with them anytime you're feeling lonely. This will definitely help you deal with your loneliness. These animals are incredibly devoted and stand with you through joys and tragedies.Engage with people who appreciate you:
Whenever you are feeling lonely, engaging with the people who always appreciate you, and support you in your difficult situations can help you feel less lonely. Social interaction is a crucial thing for human beings to live life effectively. Social exclusion can have a negative impact on our brains which comes into view after the world faces a pandemic and people have to face isolation. Many people due to this isolation fell into depression and other psychological problems.Fitness training:
Make yourself busy doing various exercises to create good health. Make yourself busy by going to the gym or going for a run in the morning so you can feel more light and energetic. There are various fitness training programs like HIIT, Cardio, and others in which you can engage to take good care of yourself.
Not all acts are intentional:
Whenever we are feeling lonely because of someone’s bad behavior or their lack of attention. We have to keep this thing in our mind that not all actions of others are intentional. Sometimes others have so much going on in their lives that are not known to us. And due to these kinds of circumstances they might behave weirdly toward us which may make us feel lonely. Not everyone who says something bad to us is intentional. Sometimes they said to us in an unintentional way that they didn’t realize would have a bad impact on us.Expecting less from others:
Loneliness can be reduced by enjoying our own company and expecting less from others. When we associate our happiness with others then we are going to feel lonely because not everyone wants to make us happy. We have to make ourselves happy in our own company and not expect others to make us happy.Distance yourself from negative people:
We are human beings and it's our desire to seek validation from others. We at some time in life need appreciation and when we are unable to find it then it creates a sense of low self-esteem in us which further becomes a cause of loneliness. So, separate yourself from the people who don’t support you, appreciate you, and listen to you. Listening to negativity about yourself can lead you to loneliness.
"All your loneliness fades away once you learn to separate your happiness from other people and discover it within yourself."
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