Loneliness in a Connected World

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is loneliness. Priya, our Health & Happiness Coach explores how, in a world where we can be so connected to so many people, we can also feel lonely and disconnected.

Is it connection we all crave?

Is it a likes on our social media accounts or being acknowledged for what we contribute within a workplace, or validation from our family and friends that we are worthy, is this what we seek? Loneliness can affect us in so many ways and in different circumstances.

One of my personal values is connection which is the opposite of loneliness – I’m going to talk about connection and share some tips on how being connected can help us combat loneliness using a holistic approach to wellbeing.

Loneliness Is the Absence of Connection – Connection is a key to Wellbeing

During the pandemic I was asked to shield due to a medical condition. I remember receiving a letter from the NHS and my heart sank, I instantly felt lonely like a door was closing on my life. Maybe others have experienced something similar during the last couple of year.

I had lots of thoughts rushing through my mind initially and felt overwhelmed: how will I manage my family life, will this affect my career, how can I carry on with my Yoga classes and voluntary work. Having to readjust and say no to people i care for and support was difficult.

Our world learnt to connect differently…

I felt more at ease when I reached out to others…finding human connection, looking at ways to connect differently and being kind to myself, I found fun ways to connect with others to keep me happy.

You’d often find me hugging a tree, lying on a lawn and simply breathing mindfully. This gave me connection to something bigger in nature. I always felt so much gratitude and love after doing this.

I remember joining an online disco with friends and we all shared music we liked and danced, the movement made me feel lighter and brought us all together. It was the little things that kept me connected throughout my day.

As a health and happiness coach here at Boo my desire is to help people think about ways that make them smile from the inside out. For me, the connection starts with building on self love with a mind and body approach.

Social connection is a part of looking after our wellbeing, Connection with our self love is giving you the self-worth and validation from within and not from elsewhere.

Here are a few ways you can combat loneliness. You can find more Mental Health connection nudges here

Connect with yourself using your breath and smile
Send a voice note to a friend
Spend time with people you like
Connect with your interests, maybe finding a hobby
Play some upbeat music and see how your body responds
Use Apps such as Nextdoor which brings communities together to share news, find local services, and socialise and get to know people who live near you and connect.
Spend some time reflecting daily – try Journaling or taking photos on your phone of things you like

If you have your own ideas for connection share them with us on twitter @boo_hq let’s create a connected community together.

Love & Light

Priya x

Click here more information from the brilliant Mental Health Foundation #mentalhealthawarenessweek #Ivebeenthere

Loneliness in a Connected World