Loneliness is not a weakness or immaturity or something to be ashamed of. It is an honest, often humbling expression of human need. Loneliness is universal and it is common to all: children, young, old, male, female, all races and cultures. Every heart knows loneliness at one time or the other, and it is possible to be lonely with others around us because our inner needs are not being met
Some Statistics on Loneliness
About 9 million people both young and old in UK experienced loneliness in 2018. 66% of students in Canada experience loneliness. Nearly 70% of university students battles with loneliness during school year in UK. 43% of young people in UK ages 17-25 have experienced problems with loneliness (Jo Cox Commission Report).
More than one-third of people 65 or older in UK feel out of touch. The scourge of loneliness in UK is so prevalent that the UK government established the Ministry of Loneliness, first under Anne Crouch (MP) in 2017.
Loneliness, defined by an absence of meaningful relationships now plagues half of all Americans. In fact, Americans loneliness doubled since 1980. One of five Americans now report having no-one to talk to when going through difficult times. This recently led the US Surgeon-General, Vivek Murthy declaring loneliness a public health issue.
Among the elderly, loneliness is a scourge and a growing epidemic in the UK with 2.4 million adults feeling lonely according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics. Loneliness is a common source of suffering in older people, and it is also a risk factor for poor health outcomes, including death and multiple measures of functional decline (Dr. Carla Perissinotto, Lead Researcher, University of Chicago/Archive of Internal Medicine)
The cheering news is that loneliness can be overcome, and good quality of life achieved
In the next few weeks we will be looking at:
- The meaning of Loneliness
- Why do people get lonely
- How loneliness affects us spiritually
- How loneliness affects our health
- The social & psychological consequences of loneliness
- How loneliness affects aging
- Managing and overcoming loneliness
This is a public service initiative by the Nigerian Association of Retired People (NARP 50plus)
Mr. Ayodeji Olulani, MA, MSc, authored the book Coping with Loneliness: Unleashing Your Potentials for Excellence. He is a Management and Realty Consultant, who also enjoys holding and facilitating seminars and conferences on managing loneliness.
He is lives in Lagos, Nigeria.