By Eva, Blog Ambassador and Message Manager of Youthoughtism
Introduction
Loneliness is a mental health risk that teenagers and adults are now facing. We surveyed the topic of loneliness. Over 70% of people say that they sometimes feel lonely! What is loneliness, and what does it cause? How should we help? Let’s find out!
What is loneliness?
Loneliness is an emotion that affects a lot of teenagers and adults. It can happen at any time, any place, anyone. You tempt to feel empty, alone, and unwanted when you feel lonely. It happens when you don’t have people to communicate with or are bored of your current action. Loneliness isn't only about being alone. Instead, if you feel alone and isolated, then that is how loneliness plays into your state of mind. For example, when nobody cares about you or listens to you, you start feeling lonely and sad.
What does loneliness cause?
From the survey we did, here are some answers the interviewees gave us to the question of “What problems does loneliness bring you?” : Depressed, hopeless, bored, sadness, lower self-esteem, etc. Everyone has different effects on the problem of loneliness. Other people may have trouble with sleeping quality, stress, social network, physical appearance, etc. Even worse, some may lead to addictions to drugs or alcohol.
Do you think loneliness is severe?
70% of people said “yes” in our survey.
People tend to have negative emotions when they’re lonely. Loneliness also affects your mental health tremendously as you will feel unloved and unwanted. It will also lead to other problems (as mentioned above). People feeling lonely may often be miserable as they have nobody to chat with and share their feelings. It needs to be paid attention to as no one should waste their life being sad and spending it alone. Those who feel lonely would finally get a helping hand and have a brighter future!
How to solve loneliness?
If you feel lonely in the way of being alone, you could try to be more initiative, and actively reach out to more people! You could also find my relatives and friends to chat with! On the other hand, if you are lonely because of being too bored, tired, or anxious, you can try to calm down and think positively. You could also try listening to music or sleeping, after that the bad emotions will be all gone. What if you see others feeling lonely? You could try talking with them and hanging out to cheer them up. If it’s a person you don’t know, you can try to offer them to be your friend.
Conclusion + Reflection:
Loneliness is a severe health concern and should be followed. It leads to much more mental health and even affects your physical appearance. As Mother Teresa once said, “the greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.” We should help those who are feeling lonely now, even a simple action, talking to them might also make them feel better. Just always remember, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!