How to Deal with Loneliness

Are we living in the Age of Loneliness? In a 2023 81-page report from the Office of the Surgeon General, titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation,” the United States Surgeon General stated, “…we are now finding that one in two adults report measurable levels of loneliness.”

Have you ever been surrounded by others but felt alone? Or been alone and fully engaged in what you were doing? I sure have, and it got me exploring the distinction between being alone, a circumstance, and feeling lonely, an emotion. Many of us assumed retirement would be lonely. We worried about losing coworkers, routines, or a spouse…

A woman over 60 cancels plans on a Friday night. She makes tea. She sits in a chair she loves and reads until her eyes get heavy. She sleeps well. When someone asks what she did over the weekend, she hesitates. Because “nothing” sounds like a confession when you’re over 60. A younger woman has the same Friday. She calls it self-care. Same evening…

Urban living can be exciting for older men and women but city living can also bring on feelings of isolation and loneliness. It’s true that in a city there is an infrastructure more suited to a less mobile lifestyle usually with a public transportation, parks, museums, and education and entertainment opportunities…

Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, running through numbers in your head, wondering if you’re doing this “right”? Maybe it’s a bill you’ve been putting off opening. A decision you’re not sure how to make. Or a quiet worry you haven’t shared with anyone. For many women, money isn’t just stressful, it’s deeply…

Although I live in Canada, I am spending more and more time in London, England with my kids and first grandchild. They live in Southwest London, and this year I sought out something called a “Walk and Talk” in Wimbledon Park. I loved the simple experience so much that I’d like you to know about it too…

There’s a big difference between being alone and feeling lonely. Being alone is something we have all experienced in our lives, sometimes by choice, sometimes as the result of circumstances beyond our control. “Being lonely” involves how we interpret our situation. Unfortunately, as our social circumstances shift, more and more baby boomers are finding themselves slipping away from “being alone” and towards “being lonely.” If left unchecked, our feelings of loneliness can have an impact on every aspect of our life and may even lead to depression. So, if you are feeling lonely, it’s important to take positive steps as soon as possible. Here are a few suggestions for where to get started.

Women over 60 have lived complicated lives. By the time we reach our 60th birthday, we have our share of battle scars. Some of us have lost someone close to us. All of us have, in one way or another, battled discrimination and stereotypes. Throughout our lives, we have faced questions of body-image. Now, as we enter our 60s, we have a choice to make. Will we allow our negative self-talk to prevent us from living our dreams? Or, will we take control and replace our doubts with positive emotions and a desire to get the most from life after 60? Here are 5 of the most common negative statements that women make to themselves, consciously or unconsciously and, more importantly, what we can do about them.

When someone we love moves into a senior living community, it can feel like they are in good hands – and often they are. The best communities offer safe, stimulating environments with compassionate staff and ample programming. But even in the best settings, nothing compares…

Community is the heart of everything as we age, and it’s important to become engrained in one before loneliness and isolation lead us down the wrong path. In her July 2023 Psychology Today article, Samantha Stein PsyD described the myriad ways…