Especially being someone who works from home. Which really got me thinking about the causes. So where do we start? Join a group Search for a group on facebook, find one on the website, MeetUp. Start a group When another good girlfriend of mine moved to a new city, she immediately started a book club.
Reach out I met one of my best friends to this day through facebook messenger. Reach out. Lots of love, Corinne. The most successful of these is Meetup , which has more than 20 million members and counting. Here you can make platonic friends with people based on your interests, and whether you like bird watching or minimal German techno, you'll probably find someone like-minded.
Maria, 27, described feeling "ashamed" at the barren state of her social life and "not knowing" how to rectify it. Interestingly, it was her recently divorced mum who turned her onto Meetup. She realised how perilous her situation was and got online to meet like-minded women of a similar age. Friendship app, CitySocializer , is growing in popularity with young Britons. Like MeetUp, CitySocializer provides people with a direct vein into the social heart of whatever capital you are in — giving you access to groups of people attending events, whether a bookshop reading or a night out clubbing.
Getting men and women in their 20s and 30s to talk about loneliness is quite an onerous task, as it seems to be something of a taboo — like admitting to alcoholism or an eating disorder — but the statistics tell a bleak story. A survey from the Office for National Statistics says that "Britain is the loneliest capital of Europe.
One of the things you can infer from this poll is that we are more insular and less connected to others than our European counterparts — a kind of modern version of the British stiff upper lip — and this seems to chime with a lot of adults I speak to.
It would seem weird to suddenly be free at weekends, so the lies about parties in the countryside continue. This cycle of being too polite — or too ashamed — to reach out to others to ask for help, or just an invite to the pub, seems to be a recurring theme. Interestingly — and rather counterintuitively — romantic relationships seem to be a massive culprit in this loneliness epidemic.
Nothing can replace the special connections you have with those who have known you over the years, but taking that leap of faith Jacqueline mentioned can reinvigorate and get the ball rolling.
Do it anyway. Liking yourself before going off in search of friends is an important step to building healthy relationships. Join a language class if you love languages or volunteer outdoors if you love nature. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Once you have taken the first step and are moving on to meeting outside the initial environment where you made a connection, chose a neutral public space.
This can lessen the pressures that, say, hosting at home can bring, and give you time to focus on each other. A good listener is rare these days. It is the best passport you could possibly have to friendship. A common mistake is expecting too much from one person. It is more realistic and healthier to have a variety of friends for different reasons. Loneliness isn't inevitable — a guide to making new friends as an adult.
Feeling lonely? Brown and Jopling. Age-friendly and inclusive volunteering: Review of community contributions in later life. Centre for Ageing Better. Polley, M. Making sense of social prescribing. University of Westminster. There are nine million lonely people in the UK and four million of them are older people. Many older people find constant loneliness hardest to overcome. They lack the friendship and support we all need.
Help us change that. If you register you will automatically get access to the recordings after the event. The Campaign to End Loneliness inspires thousands of organisations and people to do more to tackle the health threat of loneliness in older age. If you'd like to keep in touch, please leave your name and email below, or just click the orange button to go to make your donation. I feel lonely.
What can I do? Below are some suggested ways to help you deal with your feelings of loneliness. Connecting with others Catch up with old friends Friendships are like plants that need water, you need to invest time in maintaining them. Invest time in new connections Joining groups based on your interests is one of the best ways of making new connections [i] [ii].
Little things can make a difference Having deep connections with close friends is important but brief exchanges with others can also have an impact on how you feel about yourself. Connect online Technology is a great way to both stay in touch with friends and make new friends.
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