How to Deal with Loneliness

As anyone who has experienced loneliness can tell you, feeling lonely is not the same as being alone. At the same time, it is possible to have many people in your life, while still feeling lonely.

Sometimes, the circumstances that lead to our loneliness are out of our control. Some of us have lost our spouses or gone through a divorce. Others have children who are building their own lives in another part of the world. Read More

It’s Christmas day. People have been preparing for months and you’ve happily ignored all the excitement and stress, knowing that none of it applied to you. What do you do when, by choice or chance, you are one of the millions of people around the world spending Christmas day alone? Read More

You imagine ahead to your traditional dinner: you know what you will be eating, you know who you will be celebrating with, you know where you will be – but suddenly your heart drops. This year there will be an empty chair round that table. Read More

Our motive to create a support system extends beyond the need for social connection and to avoid loneliness. Many women, especially those of us without an immediate family, are at risk of isolation and spending too much time alone…

The holidays aren’t always a happy time – for some they’re reminders that they are lone, whether they’re widowed, divorced, separated or simply away from family and friends. Add grief to that and it’s even more difficult. Loneliness is painful. Read More

It feels like it was yesterday I was helping my parents with their care needs while working a full-time job. Today, I’m the one who has grown older and occasionally needs help, but unlike my parents…

Much has been written about loneliness in recent months – and not just about the elderly who find themselves alone in later life. Read More

“Why do I feel lonely in a group?” This was the question that one of my friends asked as we sat in a coffee shop after a trip to the gym. She explained that, since she was still working, she was always surrounded by other people. But, she still felt lonely most of the time. Read More

Loneliness is a complex problem. For starters, being alone is not the same as being lonely. Our feelings of loneliness come from how we interpret our situation, not from the simple fact that we are by ourselves. Read More

A recent study saying that loneliness and social isolation are a major health hazard is no surprise to millions of people who are alone and lonely. Not having the fundamental human experience of connectedness is painful and even dangerous, especially if you are older. Read More