How Loneliness can affect your Physical and Mental Health

Loneliness is a complex universal human emotion, a unique experience for each individual, but in the 21st century, it has also become a public health issue. As the population's life expectancy continues to expand, many older people are alone, but it is not just a challenge that the elderly face. Technology and applications discourage and delay actual social interactions, and the pandemic we go through as I write these lines has isolated us so much that many of us have become accustomed to being alone and not looking for company.

What is Loneliness?

While Loneliness definitions describe it as a state of Loneliness or being alone, researchers define Loneliness as a state of mind and make people feel naked, aimless, and unwanted. Single people often long for human contact, but their mood makes it more difficult to connect with other people. Because Loneliness is not about having or not having people around you, but about the lack of deep, substantive emotional interactions, for example, a first-year college student might feel alone, despite being surrounded by roommates, or a soldier at the beginning of his military career may feel lonely after being sent to a foreign country, despite being constantly surrounded by other members of the military, in the same way, a man can feel, in isolation, during a pandemic.

Factors contributing to Loneliness include multiple variables, such as physical isolation, moving to a new location, divorce, loss of an important person, or a mental illness, such as depression or low self-esteem. People who do not trust themselves often believe that they are not worthy of the attention of those around them, which can lead to isolation and chronic Loneliness. Chronic Loneliness is also associated with small social networks, health problems, and poor quality social interactions. On the other hand, researchers found that a low level of Loneliness is associated with marriage, higher incomes, and a high education level.

Symptoms of Loneliness, a contagious emotion

In a study conducted over ten years, researchers examined how Loneliness spreads on social networks, and the results indicated that people close to someone facing Loneliness were 52% more likely to feel over time. And become alone as well. Chronic symptoms and signs of Loneliness can vary depending on age, lifestyle, etc., but if you constantly face the following situations, you may suffer from chronic Loneliness:

• Inability on a deeper, more personal level to communicate with others. You may have family members, friends, or colleagues around you, but involvement with them occurs on a superficial level. The interaction is not genuine; as a result, there is no need for connection.

• You have friends, but you consider them contextual knowledge, and you feel that you can't find someone who understands you.

• You face an overwhelming feeling of overwhelming isolation, no matter where you are or with whom (you can be at a party, surrounded by dozens of people and still feel isolated). You can feel alienated at work and alone.

• You don't trust yourself. Do you feel that you are not doing enough? These feelings - in the long run - are another possible symptom of chronic Loneliness.

• When you try to connect with other people, you do not feel seen or heard.

• Social interactions exhaust you. If you face chronic Loneliness, trying to get socially involved with those around you exhausts you.

How Loneliness affects physical and mental health

Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that adults who feel less than those who are not alone exercise alone, their diet is higher in fat, their sleep is less successful, and they experience more exhaustion. Loneliness also disrupts the regulation of cellular processes, predisposing to premature aging. But the effects are not limited to a more disordered lifestyle but have much deeper ramifications. "Loneliness is an epidemic. We are more connected than ever, but still, many people face extreme Loneliness, which has a surprising impact on both mental and physical health,"

In the long run, the feeling of isolation raises the body's cortisol level (hormonal stress), and high levels of cortisol can contribute to inflammation, weight gain, resistance to insulin, problems with concentration, and much more. If left unchecked, these chronic symptoms of Loneliness may pose a higher risk for more serious medical and emotional problems, such as:

• Depression;

• Sleeping disorders;

• Type 2 diabetes;

• Heart disease;

• High blood pressure;

• Mental health problems;

• Substance use.

But chronic Loneliness also affects brain health. There could be a correlation between Loneliness and an increased risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's syndrome; some studies even say. Social isolation can also reduce cognitive abilities, such as the ability to concentrate, make decisions, solve problems, and, ultimately, lead to depression.

How to prevent the effects of Loneliness

Loneliness can be overcome, but it can require a conscious effort to make a change. In the long run, this change can make you happier and healthier.

Here are some ways to prevent Loneliness:

• Adopt a positive attitude. Lonely people often expect rejection, so their mood is affected by negative thoughts. Try to look at the world through a positive filter.

• Focus on developing quality relationships. Find people who share your passions, interests, and values.

• Go to therapy. If you are not interested in social interactions, you may not be prepared or fit for them, but that does not mean that you are immune to Loneliness's negative effects. A therapist can help you find your way and heal your wounds.

Contact Medication Therapy Management for any mental illness and disorder. They provide the best mental health services.