Loneliness has nothing to do with how many people are around you. It has to do with fitting in, feeling cared about. A recent survey by the Cigna company found that three out of every five Americans feel that nobody really knows them. Did you know that in 2023 the surgeon general declared loneliness a national epidemic? He stated that the lack of social connections is the equivalent to our health of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.
If you feel lonely and left out, you have to be proactive about dealing with it. People are likely not going to come and find you. The culture is just not built for that. You’re going to have to make a move. Go to church, get involved in a small group. Do volunteer work. Join a pickleball group or a book club. Your local hospital always needs volunteers. So do your schools.
You’ll meet people. Friendly people. You’ll be surprised at how quickly relationships develop. So don’t sit around and mope. You have the power to cast loneliness aside.
Amen