Isolation's Impact on Health

Everyone is so busy.

Yet it is striking how many people talk about feeling isolated, or even alone.

Our days are often spent connecting with friends, family, and co-workers.

We have all these relationships right?

So why are there days when we feel isolated?

There are hours when all the interaction — especially online — does not fuel us but instead makes us feel alone.

As I have been exploring this phenomenon, I came across some studies that captured this increasing sense of cultural loneliness.

For example, according to recent research by Cigna, nearly half of 20,000 U.S. adults in a study reported they “sometimes” or “always” feel alone.

Maybe that isn’t enough to worry you initially, but there’s a reason why this stuff matters. Some research has found that:

Loneliness can heighten health risks by as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Loneliness does more than triggering our emotions. It can literally make us sick.

 PROXIMITY DOESN’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM; BELONGING DOES.

Your clients can’t solve their isolation simply by placing themselves into the same room as others. Proximity doesn’t solve the problem; belonging does.

We need to feel a part of a group.

When we do not know ourselves well, when we do not trust our own minds and bodies, it becomes hard to pursue the activities and the people we love. We overthink it, we fear change, and we settle for what’s easiest: staying put.

But when your clients give themself the time to know their own needs, they’ll recognize they can’t solve their problems by liking others’ Social Media posts.

They have to step out.

They have to have tough conversations.

They have to find a group that will love and support them. 

And then? The hard part: They get to love and support that group!

Encourage your clients to stop saying yes to settling. Instead say yes to thriving, contributing, and connecting.

And to sum it up…The Summary:

• Loneliness can heighten health risks by as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

• Proximity doesn’t solve the problem; belonging does.

• Encourage clients to examine and know their own needs.

One sentence takeaway: 

Proximity doesn’t solve the problem of isolation; belonging does.