The campaign to end loneliness was founded on the belief that people of all ages need connections that matter. With 9 million lonely people in the UK, 1.2 million of which suffer chronically, many of these people lack the social infrastructure required to make meaningful connections. This can occur because of isolation, such as being confined in a nursing home, mobility issues, lack of family, or the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown.
How does loneliness affect a person psychologically?
It is often an internal struggle. While everyone handles things differently, it is often caused by feelings of exclusion, helplessness, feeling misunderstood, or abandonment to name a few. This can further lead people to feelings of anxiety and depression. The reasons why an individual feels lonely aids in shaping their personal experience and it can contribute to the severity of their disposition. This is why it is key to understand why a person feels the way they do in order to help.
We must change the way we think.
The Campaign to End Loneliness works on bringing public awareness to the problem of loneliness. Here to break thinking patterns like, “Loneliness is just a part of life.”, they are social warriors fighting to stop this problem at its roots. So, how do they go about it?
The Campaign is largely based on changing the way that people think. This is a three step process based on techniques shown to improve mental wellbeing. The three steps are: Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Positive Psychology.
Mindfulness – People must first start by becoming aware of the negative thoughts that are undermining their efforts to connect with others.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – They must then challenge their negative thinking and feeling to improve understanding in order to combat loneliness.
Positive Psychology – Lastly, people must focus on positive thinking, especially when faced with negative thoughts and feelings, to build resilience to loneliness and improve their overall mental wellbeing.
Let’s get involved.
The Campaign uses a combination of public campaigning, social groups, and one-on-one psychological support in order to reach individuals. It can be difficult to get involved in your community. This is why the campaign to end loneliness campaign has put together a list of resources to help. To see how you can get involved in your community, click here.