Overcoming Loneliness:
The Key Steps and Why It Is So Important
by www.Sedona.com
As the United States' population grows ever larger, increasing numbers of us are feeling lonely. It's ironic that as the world is growing in numbers it's also growing in social isolation, and fewer people are finding that they have the social ties necessary to get them through tough times, but as Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates, says, "Some of the loneliest people are already in relationships."
A survey of 1,500 Americans published in American Sociological Review revealed some telling facts about social ties in the United States. Here's what the survey said:
-
Nearly 50 percent more people in 2004 said their spouse was the only person they could confide in, compared with 1985.
-
One-quarter of Americans said they had no one with whom to discuss personal troubles (more than twice the amount in 1985).
-
In 1985, Americans had about three people in their inner circle of friends. In 2004, it dropped to two.
-
Only 50 percent of respondents said they had a friend to confide in in 2004, compared with nearly 75 percent in 1985.
-
In 2004, only 8 percent thought of their neighbor as a confidant, compared with 19 percent in 1985.
Loneliness and Health: A Risky Combination
Not surprisingly, studies show that loneliness not only feels bad, it's physically bad for your health as well.
A 2007 study by University of Chicago psychologists found that the toll of loneliness accumulates as you age, and being lonely actually accelerates your rate of physiological decline with age.
Further, people who lived alone or had few friends were twice as likely to die over 10 years than people with more friends and family, according to a study of 37,000 people, conducted by James House, PhD, a University of Michigan sociologist.
Other studies have revealed similar bad news about loneliness, including:
One important caveat: remember that loneliness is different from solitude. Whereas loneliness can be a harmful condition, solitude (simply spending some time alone to collect your thoughts, read, etc.) is necessary from time to time to nurture yourself.
Contrary to loneliness, not allowing yourself time for solitude "is the cause of many manifestations of psychological and physiological distress," says psychiatrist T. Byram Karasu, M.D. in a Natural Health article.
How to Stop Feeling Lonely
What should you do if you feel lonely, socially isolated or lacking in intimate relationships? First, remember that you are only as alone as you feel, and you have the natural ability to release your feelings of loneliness.
"Everyone feels lonely to some degree as long as they believe they are an individual separate from other individuals," says Dwoskin, "but remember you are never truly alone except in your mind."
The Sedona Method is a highly recommended tool to learn if you are feeling lonely because it will show you how to easily release this emotion from your life.
"The sense of loneliness is just a feeling that can easily be released with The Sedona Method if you decide to let it go," Dwoskin says. "You can also look to experience the underlying unity that is already present right within you, which clears all loneliness."
When you let the negative emotion of loneliness go, it will undoubtedly free up your hidden motivations to go out and meet new people, along with soothe any inhibitions you may have about doing so.
If you're looking for more guidance, check out How to Make Friends as a Busy Adult for three top tips to doing so.
Sources
Current Directions in Psychological Science, Volume 16 Issue 4 Page 187-191, August 2007
American Sociological Review, 2006, VOL. 71 (JUNE:353-375)
WashingtonPost.com June 23, 2006
| 
