SOCIAL CONNECTIONS TO BATTLE LONELINESS

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” —Mother Teresa

Loneliness refers to a subjective feeling of social isolation or a lack of meaningful connections with others. It's important to note that loneliness is not just about physical isolation; it can occur even when someone is surrounded by others if they don't feel understood, valued, or connected.

Loneliness is a subjective internal feeling. It’s the distressing experience that results from an unmet need between an individual’s preferred and actual experience. It also happens when a person is not understood, ignored, not accepted by others in the family, friends, peers, or people in the community.

Dreamers and writers have expressed loneliness as solitude to make you stronger. Humans as social beings gel well with people and not alone. No one truly wants to be alone.

Building and nurturing social connections is key to reducing and improving overall well-being. You can follow a few of the following steps to improve social connections.

· Reach out to friends, family members, relatives, and mentors to improve your connections

· Online communities like parties, workshops, local, and festive gatherings can be attended to share your areas of interest or passions.

· Volunteering helps you give back to the community and at the same time exposes you to new people and potential friendships.

· Joining clubs, classes, hobby groups, or community organizations that align with your interest.

· Reconnect with your old friends or acquaintances you have lost touch with. Rekindling old relationships would be overwhelming.

· Open-mindedness will help a long way in getting connected with people from different backgrounds and outlooks. This can widen your social circle and expose you to rich experiences.

· Active listening is key to building strong relationships as listening is a skill in communication and conveys to the speaker that you are interested in his subject.

· Maintain existing relationships by regularly staying in touch with people of interest but at the same time ensuring that you are not intruding into their privacy.

· Exercise and outdoor activities participation like group fitness classes is a simple and great idea for connecting with people.

Building social connections take time and effort. Not every interaction is simple and helpful, but with time chances of good friendly relationships can grow and cherish. It is also important to understand that though technology is a valuable tool in fighting loneliness it can only complement and not replace face-to-face interactions. A good balance should be struck between the two. Excessive use of technology is, not recommended for battling loneliness. It should be used within the limits to avoid screen addiction and cyberbullying.

The benefits of social connections and good mental health are many. They help in reducing anxiety and depression, improve self-esteem, empathy, and build trust in relationships. It can also help you recover from illness by improving your immunity. These social connections would gradually result in actual meetups and spending more time with one another which would bring positivity to life making people happier and more satisfied.

Connections give meaning and purpose to our lives. Isolation and loneliness are poison that would gradually kill a person.