Loneliness In teenagers

First of all, what is loneliness, well, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, sad from
being alone.
For example, a lonely child that struggles making friends or relating to others. Some
researchers said that loneliness is related with social isolation, poor social skills,
introversion, and depression.
Loneliness, according to many experts, is not necessarily about being alone. Instead, if you
feel alone and isolated, then that is how loneliness plays into your state of mind.
Although research undoubtedly confirms that both loneliness and isolation can have
detrimental effects on one's overall well-being, it's vital to recognize that being alone and
feeling lonely are not always synonymous. In fact, solitude has been shown to have
numerous positive impacts on mental health, such as aiding in improved concentration and
regaining energy. Loneliness is characterized by a sense of disconnect despite the desire for
social bonds. It's typically viewed as an involuntary state, often evoking emotions of being
rejected or abandoned by others. Contrarily, solitude is a personal choice. Those who relish
their own company are still able to maintain strong connections with others, but also value
and seek out moments of peaceful seclusion.

Dr. Vasan notes that anyone can feel lonely at any time in their life, a few groups that stand
out as having an increased risk of loneliness include “young adults, mothers with young
children and the elderly.

Some causes of loneliness are:

 Moving to a new neighborhood
 Changing schools
 Your parents are getting a divorce
 Your older brother or sister moved out
 All your friends have romantic partners and you don’t
 Fights with friends
 Being bullied
 Seeing posts on social media about activities you weren’t invited to
Some effects are:
 Feel more stressed
 Sleep, but not feel rested
 Stop taking good care of your appearance or hygiene
 Find your life has become negative
 Start showing signs of depression or anxiety
 Turn to drugs or alcohol to feel better

Types of loneliness:
 Emotional loneliness – ‘the absence of meaningful relationships’
 Social loneliness – a ‘perceived deficit in the quality of social connections’
 Existential loneliness – a ‘feeling of fundamental separateness from others and the
wider world’

Other types of loneliness can include:

 Transient loneliness – a feeling that comes and goes
 Situational loneliness – only occurring at certain times like Sundays, bank holidays
or Christmas
 Chronic loneliness – feeling lonely all or most of the time

Thing’s people can do if they are lonely:

 Help others
 Reconnect with old friends
 Try something new
 Watch something that make you laugh
 Spend time with animals
 Try an app.

Loneliness is linked to social isolation but it is not the same thing. While loneliness is an
emotional experience, isolation is a lack of social contact.
Loneliness is a subjective feeling, whereas isolation is an objective state. Social isolation is
about the level and frequency of one’s social interactions. It is defined as having few social
relationships or infrequent social contact with others.

Feeling lonely is not necessarily the same as being alone. Some people can spend lots of
their time on their own and still feel content. Others may be surrounded by people but feel
disconnected from them and lonely.

Impacts of loneliness
We can all feel lonely sometimes. But prolonged and/or intense experiences of loneliness
can have negative impacts on our lives. It can affect our health and wellbeing:

 Loneliness can increase the risk of early mortality by 26%.

 Loneliness can put people at greater risk of poorer mental health, including
depression.
 There appears to be an association between mental wellbeing and loneliness:
research estimates that 60% of people experiencing chronic loneliness experience
mental distress, compared to 15% of people who are not chronically lonely.

 62% of lonely young people say that ‘feeling lonely makes them lose confidence in
themselves’.
 Research shows that loneliness is associated with elevated blood pressure and acute
stress responses.
 Loneliness is associated with ‘poorer sleep quality’ in young adults and ‘sleep
inadequacy and dissatisfaction’ in the general population.

Is loneliness a mental health problem?

Feeling lonely isn't a mental health problem. But having a mental health problem can
increase feelings of loneliness. For example, if you’re struggling with your mental health,
you may:

 Avoid social events and activities you usually enjoy

  Have low self-esteem
 Find it hard to try new things and worry about engaging with others
 Find it difficult to speak to people about how you’re feeling, for fear of stigma or
not being understood
 Feel like you could be a burden to others
 Feel overwhelmed in busy public places, or at work events and parties.

In conclusion, loneliness is a problem we need to put attention to, because it can cause
depression, or death, and if someone needs help with loneliness, is better for them to talk
about it to someone that has experience, to recommend you the things you need.