克服孤独

你可能会感到孤独，但你并不孤单.

根据… 健康咨询 由U发布.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy last May, one in two adults is now lonely.

“Our connection to one another is a foundation on which we build a healthy society. 随着这一基础的崩塌和削弱, 我们已经看到，我们正在遭受全面的痛苦,卫生部长Vivek Murthy在一次演讲中说道 十大网赌平台推荐学院研讨会 去年秋天，在新罕布什尔州的汉诺威.

“如果你也在受苦, the antidote to your loneliness could be closer and more accessible than you think,十大网赌平台推荐健康中心的心理学家说 安德鲁J. 史密斯博士. 

You just might have to step a bit outside your comfort zone to address it.

“毫无疑问, 孤独会对一个人的一生产生深远的影响,史密斯说。, 他最近与人合著了 一项研究 关于社会联系如何有助于改善健康. 但孤独并不是个人的缺点. Loneliness is an emotional signal that tells you to go find someone to 跟, 参与社区活动, 为他人服务—即使你认为这很难.” 

孤独会影响你的健康

If you are suffering from loneliness, there is good reason to take action. By all measures, loneliness can have a significant negative impact on your health.

研究 show that the impact of prolonged loneliness and social isolation on our health can be marked, 导致增加 患心血管疾病的风险, 免疫功能紊乱, 失眠, 中风, 痴呆, 抑郁症, 焦虑, 甚至 早些时候死亡.

孤独不仅会影响你的情绪健康, it can make you feel worse about yourself and your perceived prospects for a meaningful life.

“That may have to do with comparing ourselves to the seemingly ideal lives of others through social media or other ways. 但是当我们感到孤独的时候, we can get intimidated by the prospect of interacting with others or fear those interactions will not live up to expectations and that can make us even less inclined to go out and participate in those relationships,史密斯说。.

一个人并不一定意味着孤独

也就是说，独自一人—远程工作，独自上下班，甚至独自生活—是不是一定要转化成孤独.

也不总是需要干预. “花点时间独处是健康的，也是必要的, 充电, 培养并保持自我意识,史密斯说。.

美国心理学会(APA) 定义了孤独 as “discomfort or uneasiness from being or perceiving oneself to be alone.”

“When we start to feel that our aloneness is impacting our ability to operate in the world or that we are suffering due to a state of isolation or feelings of loneliness, making a concerted effort to reach out and forge connections is an essential first step toward healing,史密斯说。. “Often, when we connect with others, 抑郁症 or other mental health symptoms improve.”

你能做什么

在政策层面上，人们正在采取很多措施来纠正孤独感. 在秋季十大网赌平台推荐研讨会上， 参与的外科医生 discussed a broad array of solutions that included encouraging more doctors to go into primary care and better training primary care physicians to identify and address mild behavioral health issues that can coexist with feelings of loneliness and isolation.

In addition, mental health screening is now common practice among clinicians. 可访问性, 面对面 以及治疗师提供的虚拟心理健康治疗, 心理学家, 精神科医生, 辅导员 大幅增长 近年来.

“Intervention from a health practitioner can be transformative with any mental health condition,史密斯说。. “But most of our opportunities to be healthy occur through our natural social networks—among our friends, families, co-workers, significant others, and within our communities. That’s where the accessible and impactful sources of meaning and healing reside. 这些关系可以帮助我们从伤害中愈合, 适应大病, 坚持药物治疗, 或者在治疗期间获得更好的心理健康结果. Relationships also can help us experience more meaning and purpose.”

从哪里开始

虽然治疗从来都不是一刀切的解决方案, one place to begin if you feel you are suffering from loneliness is to ask yourself some questions:

●      你和爱人的关系有问题吗?

●      你是否觉得与更广阔的世界脱节了?

●      你在回避朋友吗??

●      你觉得自己“不如”别人吗?

●      你害怕被评判或被拒绝吗?

●      你在逃避社交场合吗?

如果你对以上任何一个问题的回答是肯定的, you will benefit from taking proactive measures to forge or strengthen your relationships. As you do, it's vital to remember is that loneliness is universal. 

“孤独并不是社会无能的标志, 无价值, 或者是某种可悲. Even your doctors, pastors, partners, and friends feel lonely sometimes. What loneliness does mean is that you and the people in your life could benefit from you finding someone to serve, 跟, 对…说句好话, 或者与他人共享空间. 你越活跃越好，”史密斯说.

下一步该去哪里?

你可以从那些你认识和信任的人开始. 

“Go ahead and risk being vulnerable by 接触 to one person in your network whom you trust, 告诉他们你感到孤独或沮丧. 我敢打赌，回应将是积极的. Pretty quickly you will feel less lonely by getting out of your own head and into the lives and support of others,史密斯说。.  

如果你的孤独来自更具体的担忧, 不要害怕直接和具体地解决这些问题. If, 例如, you feel that you and your partner are not showing one another enough love and that is alienating, take it upon yourself to make a concerted effort to express your appreciation and love for them.

与 社区组织—whether nonprofit support programs, arts organizations, or public social service agencies—也能让你感觉更有联系. Find one that aligns with your interests and on which you can bring your strengths and knowledge to bear. 研究 shows that helping others helps our own sense of well-being and ability to cope.

Support groups, too, can help address challenges that might be contributing to your loneliness. 这些挑战可能包括应对悲伤, 处理心理健康问题, 或者从身体疾病中恢复. 许多这样的支持团体都是免费的，可以在网上找到. 

As you make these efforts at engagement, resist being harsh on yourself. Catch yourself negatively predicting or evaluating yourself, and comparing yourself to others. 记住你是值得的. 练习自我照顾，让别人来照顾你.  

史密斯总结道:“在一天结束的时候, 克服孤独就是要有一种联系感, 愿意让别人服侍和爱你, 接触, and recognizing you have something worthwhile to contribute to the world and to those around you.”

And remember, if you feel you need immediate help, contact a hotline. 988自杀事件 & 危机生命线是 988 or 1.800.273.8255.

额外的资源

●  社会联系基础 – A nonprofit charitable organization promoting evidence-based research and interventions

●  结束社会隔离和孤独联盟 (CESIL) – An advocacy group supporting policy changes aimed at reducing loneliness and associated negative health effects

●  项目UnLonely – This national initiative by the Foundation for Art and Healing raises awareness about the negative effects of loneliness and empowers people to connect with each other through the arts

●  老龄化资源中心 -一个有用的十大网赌平台推荐希区柯克医疗中心资源 provides older adults, families, and community members with information, education, and support