According to statists.com 33 of adults experience lonliness worldwide. According well-beinglifeworks.com isolation is also a global issue and not only something affecting people in Canada.
Lonliness refers to the feeling of being alone or separated from others, whereas isolation refers to lack of social contacts and not having people to contact with regularly.
Although older adults often tend to suffer from lonliness and isolation, which can impact their health and longevity a BBC poll claims that it is 18-24 year olds who tend to be lonliest
In the US a quarter of adults over 60 live alone and 43 per cent were feeling lonely before the covid epidemic.
Loneliness is a problem that can lead to mental disorders and distress as well anxiety, depression, low self esteem, problems sleeping and increased feelings of stress.
It can also lead to problems of the brain and brain shrinkage and can effect longevity. Lonely people may not live as long as people with strong social bonds and not deal as well under stress.
Loneliness is a psychological, medical problem that effects individuals but is a serious social problem as well.
Loss of mobility, health issues and a lack of employment can lead people to feel lonely due to a lack of contacts.
Living alone and not being married can lead to premature mortality and health issues as can pack of social groups and friendships.
Retirement and physical mobility issues can effect people and make them feel lonely.
One way a person can recognise that they feel lonely is that they feel more stressed than normal.
Loneliness increases feelings of stress.
Doctors have also found that lonely people may have higher blood pressure, lower immune systems and more general body inflammation.
Signs that someone is lonely could be that they spend a lot of time alone, that they focus on negatives, they are unproductive, they seem to be sick or ill frequently, they are overly attached to their possessions or hobbies.
A loner may like to spend time alone a lot of the time but even they need social interactions.
Covid has of course increased feelings of lonliness and isolation and especially in children and teenagers who may not be used to being alone.
The factor of lonliness and mental health should really have been considered when asking people to self isolate.
If special clothes and distancing was enough it could have prevented the loneliness panademic. There were clothing to prevent the spread of any illness. At least that would have foregone the need for a total lockdown.
However, some are saying that the social isolation issue of the panademic is actually showing us a need to come closer to others and improve relationships.
It has highlighted the unhealthy aspect of modern society that people were already treating each other as if they had lurgies or something.
There are of course, other reasons such as suspicion, fear of being hurt by others and trauma which can all separate people from each other.
Humans are actually social "creatures" as they say.
We were meant to live in a society.
Within a society we were meant to have families, first growing up with parents and then marrying and bringing children into the world.
The benefits of marriage are numerous, such as increased longevity, decreased feelings of stress and a stronger level of support.
Yet we are told that there is an increase in people choosing not to marry or have a family.
This may increase after the panademic.
The benefits of marriage is of course when the marriage is supportive and loving. Unloving marriages can be detrimental to our health and well being.
Most people do not stay away from marriage due to choice but due to the lack of suitable marriage partner.
A saying of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him says that unfortunate is the unmarried person.
It is recommended for Muslims to marry, and choose partners who are loving and will bear offspring.
However, that is a personal choice at the end of the day.
It is also recommended to do good and keep strong relationships with parents and other relatives.
These, along with regular social support from others such as attending prayer services and seeing people in other ways and places may help to ward off loneliness.
Of course, the quality of friendships and relationships is important.
We can deepen our friendships and relationships with others by sharing more about ourselves
This needs trust of course and may take time.
So gaining people's trust is also important to establish good relationships.
In the modern world due to the increase in lying, cheating, selfishness and spreading of personal information as well as backbiting and slander people may find it hard to trust people enough to be open.
So it may take some time and this is why it is more important and effective for people to deepen their relationships that are already present than to go in search of New ones.
People who end relationships quickly only to search for new company are likely to be not only shallow, but lonely too.
They will most likely not have deep and meaningful relationships.
I also wanted to mention some ideas that are somewhat unhealthy or even dangerous at times.
For example, lonely people are often told to "love themselves," then they will be ok.
However, I am sure most people do love themselves but even if they do they still need to feel loved and valued by people around them.
A selfish, narcissist person will probably not be very lovable in the end. Yet they love themselves more than anyone. Perhaps that is the problem.
There are people now on YouTube and social media that encourage people to be alone.
They talk about how beneficial it is.
It may be some of the time but not all the time.
People are trying to teach people how to be alone rather than helping them actually fit into society and make proper friends.
These people don't seem very happy and often complain of depression.
So it would be better, in my opinion, to encourage and teach people how to get on well with others and have better, more affective and deep and meaningful relationships.
The best way to start doing that is with the people who we already have relationships with and who we have known a long time.
We can unite with people through the memories, experiences and events we may have gone through together, which all strengthen relationships.
Another misunderstanding of our generation is that relationships should not need work and they are either there or not.
Actually relationships, love, marriage and so forth all require work.
We have to put in the effort to regularly update those around us about events in our life, and ask them about their lives.
We need to give time to visit friends and relatives.
As well as helping and supporting them when they need it.
Asking about people is a good way for people to deal with their feelings of loneliness and isolation, even in the panademic.
When there is a lockdown people can still communicate by phone or computer (unless the virus finds a way to travel down the cable).
However, too much social networking is also said to lead to feelings of lonliness and isolation.
There is also a concern that friendships will not return to normal with more people withdrawing and finding social contact tiring.
For this reason, perhaps some more effort needs to be made to get back into the social routine and keep the friendships going.
The lack of close friendship and support is increasing since before coronovirus, with most people in UK saying they lacked a close friend compared to years ago.
Therefore, some effort needs to be made to encourage actually meeting people as well as improving social interactions.
Levels of empathy have also fallen from 1979-2009 by 48% apparently.
Empathy is what makes us feel and identify with each other. To understanding what another person may be going through.
Empathy is usually developed by seeing the suffering of people. Therefore, dealing with people online - or not at all - is likely to decrease empathy.
Since the opposite of empathy is psychopathy, we should be worried.
Psychopaths are callous unfeeling individuals that lack feelings of care and concern for others.
Therefore, there is said to be a global risk in the "age of anger."
If you feel lonely and deel you don't have close friends or support we can advise you to try:
Joining a group with similar interests
Taking up a new hobby
Volunteering, especially to help others such as the elderly who may be feeling lonely too
Getting a pet
Catching up with old friends or relatives
Visiting people
Visit a new place or get a new job
Go out of the house if there is no one in it but you
Maybe try to arrange to live with roommates, family, relatives, get married or get a pet.
When you know someone might be lonely why not try talking to them and getting to know them?
You could become friends
Ot at least brighten up someone's day making them feel happier.
Helping others is a very effective way to feel good about ourselves and doing away with loneliness.
You may also increase your empathy.
People who are likely to be lonely are anyone living alone, unmarried people, people whose work takes up too much of their time, people who cannot go out much and disabled people.
Also people who are shy, withdrawn, foreign, without family or different in some way.
Therefore, it is good to watch out for the well being of others as it is for ourselves.
We can help change these damaging habits from corono virus and beyond with a little kindness, effort and empathy.
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