Human connection and loneliness

We all need human connection, that deep bond that exists between people, is a sense of feeling seen and valued. When we have authentic connections, we feel positive energy and build trust. It gives you a sense of belonging.

Human connections are important even if we think we can survive alone because when we are connected, we have greater life satisfaction, build more resilience and have better mental health.

One sign that we may need to look out for is when we feel lonely. Loneliness is not necessarily the same as being alone.

Loneliness is a state of mind, when we are longing for human relationships, and it is unfulfilled.

Someone can have so many friends around them, seem so popular and liked but they can still feel lonely as they may lack real connection to those around them.

We are all different and we can experience loneliness differently, it can often manifest as social isolation or feeling left out or unheard.

It is important to monitor how you feel as when you are lonely, your stress hormone, cortisol goes up and this can lead to health problems.

So, what is the answer to loneliness, unfortunately there are no magic tricks but here are a few ideas:

• Take that first step to connect with friends and family or even build new connections. We have included below a fantastic resource from our partners at Chasing the Stigma who have The Hub of Hope, a directory of groups and communities in your area that you could go along to. Alternatively, there are numerous groups that have been created dependant on different interests, maybe popping along to one of them to meet new people. Another great one to look at is Meetup.com

• How about looking to volunteering, it can be very rewarding and gives you a sense of purpose, it can be a meaningful way to connect. It can also illicit feelings of gratitude which also can help your wellbeing

• Talk to someone, there is always someone out there ready to listen and never feel you are not able to reach out.

• Smile (it can be hard, when you feel you have nothing to smile about) This will boost your positive attitude and people are drawn to that.

• Overcome your resistance, we can feel intimidated at the thought of creating connections as we fear rejection but stepping into the power of our uniqueness and taking a step out of our comfort zone is sometimes all that you need.

https://hubofhope.co.uk/