Loneliness

Loneliness

Loneliness can affect people of all ages and have an impact on their physical and mental health. It’s important to know how to combat loneliness to improve mental health and well-being.

Loneliness can be described as feeling isolated and distant from other people. There are common events that can create a short or long term feeling of loneliness, such as; a loss of family, moving location, disability, anxiety, a lack of day-to-day interactions, and many other reasons which can cause someone to feel lonely.

To combat loneliness, we should make a change that allows us to have more social interactions, for example, trying to meet friends or family frequently can raise our spirits and make us feel more sociable. Even making phone calls to friends and family you can’t meet often can help a lot. It can also be something as simple as being around being, whether this is in a coffee shops, park or at a library. 

Another way to meet more people is through clubs, groups, or volunteering. There may be groups of interest to you in your local area that you could try. Below we delve into specific areas we cover & activities that you can try or attend:

Things to do in Calne to combat loneliness: https://www.lovecalne.co.uk/clubs/ 

Things to do in Chippenham to combat loneliness: 
https://onechippenham.org.uk/category/community/search-classes-groups-clubs-by-type/ 

Things to do in Melksham to combat loneliness:  https://www.standbrook-guides.com/melksham/orgs/ 

Taking the first action or step towards being more sociable might be daunting, but by taking care of our physical and mental health, we can begin to feel more positive and inclined to be sociable. Some things that you can start today to support your physical & mental health can be things such as:

- Starting a daily walk outside for 15 minutes 
- Completing chair based exercises to keep you moving 
- Listening to audio books or podcasts that help you feel relaxed and calm 
- Joining a regular fitness class or group 
- Speak to someone, whether it is a friend or family member, or someone on the phone about your mental health concerns 

It's important to say we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up about how we are feeling. By talking to others, it may relieve some of the negative feelings we have. There is also professional help, support groups, and online help for anyone that could benefit from these. 

For more assistance with mental health, please follow this link to the Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/ 

Loneliness can be very difficult, but it is a problem we can beat. It is very important to take care of ourselves and live a happy life.