What is loneliness, and why does it matter?
With around 3 million people in England saying that they’ve felt lonely in the last two years, feeling lonely is a common experience. There is no one set experience that makes somebody feel lonely and it’s not just about being alone. It is possible to enjoy being alone and spending time by yourself only to feel lonely in a crowd.
We all need to feel connected to people. You might start to feel lonely if you don’t feel understood or cared for by the people around you.
The relationship between loneliness and mental health.
Loneliness isn’t a mental health condition, but mental health conditions can worsen feelings of loneliness and loneliness can negatively impact your mental health.
Loneliness can be a recurring feeling, or it might be triggered by events in your life such as changing jobs, moving to a new place, break-ups and bereavement.
Supporting someone who feels lonely.
It can be difficult to tell when someone is feeling lonely – the best way to support someone who is feeling lonely is to talk to them and listen to how they are feeling.
If you think someone might be feeling lonely, try and open up a conversation with them, approach them without judgement and give them the opportunity to talk about how they feel without pressure.
Be patient, not everyone is comfortable opening up right away, especially if they are struggling. Just making yourself available and taking that first step to reach out can go a long way.
The most important thing to do is listen – no one wants to be lectured on what they’re doing wrong when they feel disconnected and out of touch. You don’t have to be an expert, or offer lots of advice – just listen. Maybe you can relate to their experience, or maybe not, but being able to actively listen to what someone is going through can make a big change.
To learn more about how you can better support your colleagues mental wellbeing at work, email admin@iiduk.org to discuss training options from the National Centre for Diversity, or explore our online training options.
