But that’s just about as judgmental as you can get. Everyone has their lows and some of us have it slightly worse than the others. Researchers have shown that loneliness can not only hamper your mood or leave you upset and depressed but also have a direct impact on your health.
Loneliness is an invisible epidemic. It is now being treated as a more severe condition than previously imagined and is regarded as a chronic problem. New research says that loneliness and social isolation are as much a threat to your health as obesity. As Richard Lang, MD, chair of preventive medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio puts it, people need to attend to loneliness in “the same way they would their diet, exercise, or how much sleep they get.” Social isolation is as serious a condition as thirst or hunger is.
Let’s not forget that humans are social beings and for a social species to be on the edge of the social perimeter is quite a dangerous position. Sounds too complicated? Try not talking to absolutely anyone just for a day or two. Not your parents or your friends, nobody at all. You won’t be able to do it. Imagine these people, completely by themselves with no one to talk to or no one to listen. What happens in a state of loneliness is that the brain goes into a self-preservation state and secretes increased amounts of the stress hormone cortisol right from the morning which makes the levels haywire through the day. The feeling is almost like physical pain for the brain! Another negative impact that loneliness has on the body is that it increases the risk of heart disease. The genes of lonely individuals are overexpressed and lead to inflammation in the blood vessels and tissue damage that gives rise to numerous heart conditions.
Loneliness also increases the risk of dementia among the chronic sufferers by a whopping 64%. Talk about statistics! Feeling lonely is not the same as being alone and the answer ultimately lies in a person’s relationships and ability to maintain and build social relationships. Don’t give up on yourself, just like a fat person continues running till he loses his weight, you gotta keep pushing and working on your relationships till they improve.
Life doesn’t give you shortcuts!