Feeling lonely?
Its almost funny...if you are feeling lonely, you are not alone! It is one of the biggest social problems in Australia currently that 1 out of 4 people feel isolated. While we are a generation that may be connected like never before, the feelings of loneliness and isolation has increased as fast as "likes" on a Kardashians Instagram post.
Dr Michelle Lim of Swinburn University states that exact figures on loneliness and isolation can be hard to obtain, because respondents are sometimes concerned about the stigma.
If we think about the difference even in one generation of the social changes. When I was a child shops closed on Saturday at 12 noon to reopen Monday morning, there were only 3 channels on TV and you were always excited when the phone rang. We don't even have a home phone any more everyone in our family including Nana has a mobile.
While things were certainly quieter....activities were more group focused. When friends came around the TV was turned off, there was no "online" learning students went to school or university and people dare I say it called, or spoke to each other rather than texted.
People around the world have conditions that just didn't exist like FOMO (fear of missing out) or getting addicted to how many LIKES they get on Linkedin or Facebook.
The issue is so extreme and it effects are so damaging that experts warn of a "loneliness epidemic" that could be our next public health crisis.
Human's are social creatures and our need to connect with others is hard wired. So when one in four Australians report feeling lonely at least one day a week, it's something we certainly need to pay attention too !
Little things make a big difference.....
We can all make a difference everyday just by taking a few minutes to interact with others.
How are you going to make a difference today ?
A REMINDER HERE:
“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Yoda - The Empire Strikes Back
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Virtual Assistant at CQ Mills Consulting
5 年I've got friends who feel this way. They feel like loneliness is eating them up and they're scared of opening up. I try to talk to them, and invite them out to make them feel a little better.
Simply too many lonely people in the world !
Technical Author, Educational Consultants (Oxford)
5 年Lonely, is when we abandon God, and His loving Holy Comforter.
And part 2....Here is my latest article which might be of interest to you https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/we-creating-our-own-loneliness-sandy-colombo-/
Coaching Psychologist * Executive Coach * Neurodivergent Coach * Executive Career Coach * Leadership Facilitator * HR Consultant
5 年Great post Sandy, the irony of today is that we all spend more time on our phones yet we use our phones to actually speak less! The essence of connecting through real life conversations gets lost in all the social media activity. Plus with many companies adopting more of a remote workforce comes the challenge of increased isolation particularly for those who thrive from workplace interactions and collaboration