Did you know that the month of October has officially been declared mental health awareness month in south Africa? October has been dedicated to educating people about mental health, but most importantly also to help reduce the stigma and discrimination against people with mental health illness. Considering that my upcoming blogs will be dedicated to the mental health awareness cause. To begin with, I would like to talk about a subject I feel that most people might relate too but do not discuss too often. Loneliness.
No one wants to be alone; we all love our alone time but essentially, we love to be around people that make us feel happy. But did you know that there are a few of us who face anxiety from being alone. While chronic loneliness is not a diagnosable mental health illness it can however affect your emotional and physical health and increase the chances of depression anxiety, low self-esteem problems and increase stress.
Loneliness is not always the same as being alone. Loneliness is when you are alone, and you feel sad about it. During lockdown we had several people that were alone, and isolated. In some cases you find someone that lives alone, and does not feel lonely because they are constantly going out and engaging in social activities, but when you are faced with the realty of lockdown and social distancing the option of going out to interact is not available. That is when we come to realise how many of us have been affected with loneliness. During the lookdown one in four (24%) adults said that they were feeling lonely, and prior to the lockdown the same question was asked and only one in ten (10%) adults said they had these feelings. The anxiety of the pandemic combined with not being able to socialize seemed to be too much to deal with for some people.
The problem with loneliness is that you cannot see it physically on someone. I could be lonely, and no one could even tell, that is why we need to check in with our loved ones. A phone call now and again can make a big difference, and now with technology we can skype, video call or facetime. Acts of kindness are also a great way to help, share something that you baked with your neighbours, being good to someone helps put them in a good mood.
Remember all of us feel lonely but loneliness does not affect us all in the same way. Let us be mindful of people’s feelings, check in on loved ones and even try volunteering for a helpline. When you are feeling lonely try calling a friend or family, consider taking short walks or even calling a professional line. Remember Help is always just a phone call away. Take care
USEFUL HELPLINE NUMBERS:
MENTAL HEALTH: 0112344837
DEPRESSION: 0800121314
SUICIDE: 08005675674
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