Even if you have people around you on a daily basis or are in a long term relationship, you may still have feelings of loneliness triggered because you feel that you are not understood or cared for, and this can have a long term damaging effect on your mental and physical wellbeing.
Loneliness causes the part of the brain that allows us to be vigilant to threats around us to become more active. Hence people who are lonely can actually push people away, when really they are wanting the opposite.
A study by Prof Cacioppo, compared the brains of lonely and non lonely people and the results are very interesting. In the study both groups, (lonely and non lonely) were shown the same short paragraph and both groups were attached to an ECG machine to see the results of their brain activity. The results showed that lonely people focused on words which had negative meanings more than the non lonely people.
Loneliness doesn’t just affect older people who may have lost their lifelong partner; it can affect anyone and can come in different forms such as homesickness, feeling humiliated after being ignored or loving someone who doesn’t feel the same way. It is important to acknowledge that you are feeling lonely and that it is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about as we humans are not destined to be on our own or feel isolated but instead be part of a group … Belonging is important to us.
Health issues such as high blood pressure, addiction, risk of accident and dementia can be as a result of feelings of loneliness and it can also affect our mental health as mentioned above.
Being part of a group or joining a club or an association can obviously help but this may be a big step for some so speaking to someone online or having counselling by someone you don’t know may be a start. Volunteering can also help because helping others can have a positive impact on your mental health and it helps to meet new people and make new connections. When we help others, we gain a sense of kindness, which releases positive biochemicals and hormones into our bodies that makes us feel good.
If you can relate to anything mentioned in this blog or feel that you have lost your identity and want to be and feel like the person you used to be, please contact me for a chat as hypnotherapy and NLP coaching can help. The problem with loneliness is that we focus on the negatives in life that prove we are alone, rather than the see the good things around us. This process can help us refocus, reconnect with ourselves and others and feel good again.
For more details get in touch at nicky@mind-bodywellness.co.uk or call me on 07795467090. Let me help you, like I've helped all my other clients. Life's for living and enjoying. Is it time for you to love you and your life again? You deserve it!