Suffering from Loneliness. Call A Loved One

Theres no medicine for people suffering from loneliness, but the most effective remedy is reaching out to a loved one, only if its just to say Hi, the positive affects are priceless.

Loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually.

About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Mark Anderson, CEO, of the Lives In Harmony organization said.“We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing.Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. Time to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.”

The “Call A Loved One” campaign is intended to raise awareness around loneliness and its Ill effects.

Research shows that Americans, who have become less engaged with worship houses, community organizations and even their own family members in recent decades, have steadily reported an increase in feelings of loneliness. The number of single households has also doubled over the last 60 years.

Loneliness increases the risk of premature death by nearly 30%, with the report revealing that those with poor social relationships also had a greater risk of stroke and heart disease. Isolation also elevates a person’s likelihood for experiencing depression, anxiety and dementia, according to the research. Murthy did not provide any data that illustrates how many people die directly from loneliness or isolation.

The surgeon general is calling on workplaces, schools, technology companies, community organizations, parents and other people to make changes that will boost the country’s connectedness. He advises people to join community groups and put down their phones when they’re catching up with friends; employers to think carefully about their remote work policies; and health systems to provide training for doctors to recognize the health risks of loneliness.

Social Media has rapidly exacerbated the loneliness problem. with one study cited in the report finding that people who use social media for two hours or more daily were more than twice as likely to report feeling socially isolated than those who were on such apps for less than 30 minutes a day. The loneliness epidemic is hitting young people, ages 15 to 24, especially hard. the gap between the older generation and younger generations becoming harder and harder too bridge

There’s really no substitute for in-person interaction, As we shifted to use technology more and more for our communication, we lost out on a lot of that in-person interaction. How do we design technology that strengthens our relationships as opposed to weaken them?” technology companies aren’t designed to protect kids from social media damage.

Lives in Harmony Organization kicked of their “Call A loved One” program in 2018 to bring awareness to growing population of people suffering from loneliness, and is also planning the opening of the Loneliness center of America, first of its kind.

May God bless the late John Cacioppo

The subjective sense of social isolation (loneliness) uniquely disrupts our perceptions, behavior, and physiology, becoming a trap that not only reinforces isolation, but can also lead to early death.