THE TRUTH ABOUT LONELINESS

Loneliness has serious health consequences. It can increase your risk of heart disease by 29% and stroke by 32%. This is significant and should not be overlooked. Loneliness is complex. When you lack meaningful social connections, your body recognizes your isolation. This awareness triggers your stress response.

Your sympathetic nervous system goes into high alert. This can lead to feelings of paranoia and suspicion towards others. You may become less open to connecting with people. Loneliness can also diminish feelings of love and connection in your brain. This creates a vicious cycle, often referred to as the paradox of loneliness. You may retreat further, making it harder to seek out meaningful interactions.

Hormonal changes occur in response to loneliness. Cortisol levels can become unbalanced. Cortisol is a hormone that spikes with stress and affects your alertness. Dopamine levels increase, which can drive you towards quick rewards, like drinking or gambling, without considering the consequences. In contrast, levels of serotonin, oxytocin, and natural opioids decrease. These hormones contribute to feelings of pleasure and pain relief that you miss when lonely.

The short-term effects of loneliness include increased anxiety and stress. This may lead to feelings of fatigue and a lack of desire to socialize. Long-term loneliness can make you more susceptible to illnesses like the flu or COVID-19. It can also contribute to chronic pain and a general sense of feeling run down. Sleep quality often suffers, leaving you tired despite adequate hours of sleep.

Loneliness can negatively impact your memory, potentially leading to cognitive decline and a risk of dementia. Increased inflammation linked to loneliness directly affects heart health, making heart disease a leading cause of death in the US. Furthermore, loneliness can decrease life expectancy. Its effects on premature death are comparable to smoking, which is the primary preventable cause of death globally.

Loneliness, although intangible, it is very present and evident in peoples live. It is very common that people may trivialize loneliness and relegate it to "less important things" but this is a cancer that bedevils the livelihoods of many. The sooner one become conscious of their well being, the better.

Research shows that connecting with others can help improve both physical and emotional well-being. Hearing the voice of a loved one has a positive impact on your brain and nervous system. Art therapy has grown in popularity and is beneficial in many rehabilitation settings. Spending time in nature also offers mental health benefits.

At some point in my life I was very depressed nd i suffered from the viciousness of this cancer called loneliness. I consciously became aware of my loneliness much later and in the interim, I developed a habit of talking to myself out-loud. I still do think and talk out loud all by myself to the extent that those close to me think that I am crazy. Upon realization of what was happening to me, I embarked on a journey to recovery in a bid to be the best version of myself. Along this journey I discovered very interesting things that I would strongly recommend to anyone who is or shall be a victim of loneliness. I can attest to the remedies that I wrote in the last paragraph .

To combat loneliness, consider reaching out to friends, exercising, or talking to strangers. It is essential to understand what truly makes you happy. Seek connections that resonate with you deeply. Fostering these meaningful relationships can lead to tangible physical and emotional improvements yet battling an intangible goblin that has ravished livelihoods called loneliness.