Table of contents:
- 1. Feelings of loneliness can arise even when you are surrounded by friends and family
- 2. Many elderly people are lonely
- 3. Loneliness can be "contagious"
- 4. Lonely people are prone to disease
- 5. Feelings of loneliness can be eliminated and prevented
There are times when you feel like no one can understand, listen to, appreciate, or support you. It was at this time that a feeling of loneliness emerged. Loneliness is a problem that can actually be overcome. Even in certain countries such as the UK, loneliness is considered a public health problem that must be handled directly by the government.
What, exactly, is meant by loneliness? Why do many public health experts classify loneliness as a plague? Come on, find out the ins and outs of loneliness and how to overcome it below.
1. Feelings of loneliness can arise even when you are surrounded by friends and family
Loneliness does not only occur in people who live alone. Loneliness is feeling a disconnection from your friends, family, or social circles. Loneliness can also describe the feelings of someone who feels that no one else can understand him. In addition, a lonely person also has no relationships with other people that make him feel needed or wanted.
Loneliness can be caused by someone being isolated, but that is not the main factor that affects the most. You can feel lonely even though you are surrounded every day by friends and family. The reason is, if you are not very close or have no strong bonds with these people, you can still feel lonely.
2. Many elderly people are lonely
As people get older, people will be more busy with their respective activities so that they rarely interact with the closest people who are equally busy. There are also many elderly people who don't have much activity and people around them, such as children and grandchildren, rarely come to visit. This is what invites the emergence of feelings of loneliness in parents.
Even so, loneliness can still haunt everyone, regardless of how old they are. It's just that loneliness in the elderly is more worrying because it will have a huge impact on health. The elderly are prone to experiencing various health complaints due to the aging process. If seasoned with loneliness, the elderly may find it increasingly difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
3. Loneliness can be "contagious"
This fact about loneliness you may not expect. Yes, loneliness can be "transmitted" from one person to another as if it were an epidemic disease. Susan Newman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and author of Parenting An Only Child, said that friends and family of people who feel lonely have a 52 percent greater chance of experiencing loneliness as well.
4. Lonely people are prone to disease
Did you know that lonely people are prone to disease? Yes, several studies have found that feeling lonely can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. A third of lonely people are also prone to have lower blood pressure than people who feel happy because they are surrounded by friends or family.
Research allegations have also been found that people who are lonely actually already have poor health conditions. So, not infrequently they even withdraw from their environment so that they end up feeling more and more lonely.
Loneliness can also make a person more indifferent to health. For example, you often stay up late and lack sleep, eat carelessly, addicted to alcohol, smoke more often, or are lazy to move. This is what ultimately threatens public health.
5. Feelings of loneliness can be eliminated and prevented
Although loneliness can be detrimental to physical and mental health, it can be overcome. Unlike mental illnesses such as depression or bipolar disorder, loneliness is basically temporary. Loneliness can actually be a signal for yourself to make new friends or deepen your relationships with those closest to you.
Loneliness can be overcome with the awareness of yourself who really want to make a change. Here are some ways to prevent and get rid of loneliness:
- Realize that loneliness is a sign that something needs to change in your life.
- Understand the impact loneliness has on your life. Both physically, mentally and financially.
- To overcome loneliness, join a new community or contribute in social activities so that your social circle becomes wider.
- Focus on building good relationships with people who share your views, interests, and values.
- Optimistic thinking. Lonely people often fear that they will be rejected when they meet new people. Rather than dwelling on uncertain things, focus on your efforts to get out of a lonely black hole.
