We’re living in a loneliness epidemic time. We hear that loneliness kills as much as obesity or smoking.
Yes, loneliness is not great. It is also pretty prevalent at the moment, especially given the pandemic situation and the instructions to stay away. This is probably why there is so much being written and said about loneliness.
To address loneliness all we need is to ‘get out more’. Well, yes and no.
Loneliness signals the need to reconnect and in this sense, indeed, to address it we need to ‘get out more’. But getting out more is neither always possible, nor the best way to address loneliness. So get out ....... and help someone in need.
We hear that social media is the devil. This one seems obvious to many, but it is never a missed point wherever to speak about loneliness. Is (increasing) loneliness a product of social media?
Social media can be used in different ways, with different people. And it is how we use it that determines whether or not it makes us more lonely. In a nutshell, if we use it to extend our offline social relationships, rather than replace them, we are enriching our social life. We have to work with what we got at the moment.
