The issue with loneliness is that many people experience it too painfully. This can lead to both physical and mental disorders, and life rapidly deteriorates.
The consequences of this state can sometimes be tragic, especially when a person tries to eliminate loneliness by any means necessary.
The only way to deal with loneliness is by accepting it and realizing that it’s a normal, temporary state.
It’s essential to understand the reasons behind your loneliness, identify what is truly lacking, and address the problem in that direction.
What Is Loneliness?
Loneliness is one of the pressing issues of the modern world, although some may disagree.
Experts believe that a person can feel lonely even when surrounded by others. It’s crucial to distinguish when loneliness is normal and when it becomes a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
Loneliness is an emotional state in which a person lacks trusting relationships with others for various reasons (social or psychological isolation).
When a person feels acute loneliness, they often feel empty, as if they are insignificant in this vast world. The desire to connect with others may be there, but due to introversion or underdeveloped social skills, they may struggle to form connections.
Loneliness isn’t always associated with actual isolation from society.
A person can feel lonely even among close friends or family. Conversely, someone in complete isolation may not feel lonely if they know they have loved ones who care about them.
There is no such feeling, if they do something they enjoy, i.e., visit Hell Spin Casino Website or complete work duties that make their lives more meaningful.
It’s important to understand that loneliness and solitude are two different things.
Solitude can be comforting — a chance to rest from the hustle and bustle, reflect, calm down, and find harmony with oneself. Loneliness, however, is often accompanied by anxiety and sadness.
Why Loneliness Is a Real Problem
The pain of loneliness is marked by a lack of communication, broken connections with people and the world, a deficit of love and care, and a constant feeling of being distant.
The Psychological Definition of Loneliness
There is no single definition of the word “loneliness” because it’s impossible to account for every situation or the experiences of everyone who has faced it.
Loneliness contains a deep sense of pain, caused by the loss or absence of closeness with others or even with oneself.
Key Aspects to Consider
- Internal Experience: We must recognize that loneliness is more of an internal feeling than an external situation. In other words, loneliness does not equal isolation. However, isolated individuals often do experience it. The key difference is that loneliness can occur even when surrounded by people. Acute loneliness is often felt when we are in the company of others.
- Painful Experience: Undoubtedly, loneliness causes discomfort or even repulsion. This is crucial to understand, as many people claim to be lonely, even though they feel “in their element,” relaxed, and don’t seek contact. In such cases, it is more about solitude, which can be beneficial, for example, for self-development.
- Subjective Perception: Loneliness is directly linked to how we perceive the world. Outsiders cannot easily detect loneliness in someone because it results from a person’s subjective view of the world. The nature of loneliness is complex, and two people will always experience it differently.
- Lack of Emotional Closeness: This is another key distinction from solitude. Here, we aren’t talking about physical closeness but emotional intimacy.
Types of Loneliness
There are five main types of loneliness:
- Psychological Loneliness: This stems from a lack of close communication and the absence of trusting relationships with others.
- Physical Loneliness: This occurs when no one is physically present nearby. There’s a lack of tactile interaction or simply the presence of a close person.
- Social Loneliness: This happens when there’s no opportunity to connect with others. Sometimes, finding like-minded people is challenging due to insecurity or other complexes.
- Chronic Loneliness: This type develops when someone has been alone for a long time and can’t overcome the problem.
- Situational Loneliness: It arises from intense emotional experiences, which the person must deal with alone, without outside help or support. Alternatively, it can occur when there’s no one to share happy moments with.
Negative Consequences of Loneliness
Loneliness, as a social problem, has painful consequences. Dealing with prolonged loneliness often results in outcomes worse than the symptoms themselves.
The most common negative consequences of chronic loneliness include the following.
Entering or Staying in Unhealthy Relationships
When we feel empty and lonely, it’s natural to crave interaction. Finding a good companion or friend can indeed help.
However, pleasant communication doesn’t always lead to long-term connections. In our desperation for connection, we may overlook our own values, beliefs, and life principles — key foundations for healthy relationships.
It’s common for people to stay in unhealthy or abusive relationships because they fear facing loneliness again.
Those who have never experienced loneliness often struggle to understand why someone close to them might remain in a harmful relationship for a long time.
Uncontrolled Substance Use
Alcohol and drugs become an escape for many, as they temporarily numb feelings and provide an escape from reality.
It’s crucial to understand that while substances may ease the pain of loneliness momentarily, they don’t solve the problem.
In fact, the cost of using them is high. However, someone who has never experienced prolonged, painful loneliness may never understand the lengths to which a person in despair may go.
Chronic Busyness and Stress
Though not as destructive as substance abuse, chronic busyness and stress are also negative outcomes of loneliness that affect both mental and physical health.
Constantly working, engaging in physical activity, or creative projects, inventing endless tasks, and rarely resting is one way many people try to combat loneliness.
Like substances or impulsive relationships, chronic busyness distracts from negative thoughts. Being busy means there’s no time to dwell on loneliness.
What’s wrong with constant busyness? While it may seem like a person is working and developing, often, the quality of their work declines.
People become willing to engage in anything, regardless of whether it brings satisfaction, provides a result, or suits them.
