Being lonely can have serious health risks, and is all too common. This week (June 18th – 22nd) marks Loneliness Awareness, as organised by Bristol’s Marmalade Trust. Here are some easy ways to make a positive difference to your own life, and the lives of others.
Despite – or perhaps as a result of – being connected online, loneliness is more common today that ever before. We have the constant illusion of staying in touch with the world, but using social media doesn’t do much for our basic humans needs for connection.
The health impacts of loneliness
Loneliness, as well as feeling horrible, can have serious effects on your health, with new research revealing it can double your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Being lonely is in general a strong predictor of premature death.
The same study, from Denmark, also revealed that people who felt lonely were three times as likely to report symptoms of anxiety and depression. A further study found that its effects on mortality are comparable to cigarette smoking or obesity.
The phrase might conjure up images of elderly people, but social isolation can actually strike at any age, with a whopping 86% of millennials reporting feeling lonely and depressed in a 2011 study. A 2014 study revealed that actually 18-24 year olds are four times as likely to feel lonely all the time as those aged 70 and above.
How to combat loneliness
The charity Marmalade Trust offers these suggestions for ways to help out:
– Get to know your neighbours: organise a street party, or a picnic in your local park or community hall
– Shared lunch: don’t eat your lunch on the go or at your desk, get together with your colleagues to enjoy a shared lunch in your workplace, or dine out
– Make some marmalade cakes or marmalade sandwiches and hold a bake sale or coffee morning
– Call a family member or friend that you haven’t spoken to for a while
– Disconnect to reconnect: if you travel on public transport, put your phone, ipod or kindle away and start up a conversation with the person sat next to you
– Small and easy gestures: a simple smile or hello to a stranger could make their day
– Organise a raffle, quiz, sweepstake or talent show as a fundraiser for the Trust
– Sign up to volunteer for the Marmalade Trust
