Introducing Block Patterns
It is around this time of year that the population strive to take on New Years Resolutions, that inevitably are broken four days later (or at least, that’s my experience). In previous years, mine have included: “run more”, “run three times a week” or “recruit a friend to run once a week”. Yet, unsurprisingly, my running career is still stuck at the starting line.
This year, I wanted to focus on something more personally meaningful. I wanted to set myself the challenge of setting time aside to write about something that is meaningful to me, loneliness. And I see an even greater challenge in convincing you why it should matter to you too.
The Taboo of Loneliness
Loneliness is often a taboo subject. Even mentioning it can trigger a familiar tightness in the chest, a lump in the throat, and the discomfort of “yucky emotions” most people try hard to avoid. In 2022, a research group analysed data from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Loneliness Experiment, including 45, 548 participants across 237 countries, to investigate stigma surrounding loneliness 1. Unsurprisingly individuals felt shame surrounding loneliness – and that the stigma is worse for those who feel lonely themselves.
Yet, a significant proportion of us do feel lonely. A commission from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023) found 1 in 6 Australian’s reported feeling lonely often, which reached as high as 1 in 4 participants in females aged 15-24 years-old 2. In 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) even declared loneliness a global health threat.
Why Should We Talk About Loneliness?
If loneliness feels so shameful, why should we talk about it?
Because loneliness is toxic for our physical and mental health.
As an emergency department doctor, I see a variety of conditions presenting too accident and emergency every day. While films and TV dramas portray emergency medicine as jumping on a chest, cutting off a severed limb or extracting a pole that’s somehow managed to impale two different people simultaneously (thanks Gray’s anatomy), the reality is far less sensational.
In the realm of reality, I would estimate 60% of what I manage daily is mental health. Aside from individuals presenting directly to emergency departments in mental health crisis, is an undercurrent of loneliness precipitating physical health complaints.
Loneliness is a pervasive factor that underpins both physical and psychological well-being, that as a society we are terrible at talking about. One meta-analysis of 70 independent studies found loneliness increased a risk of individual’s death by 26% 3. For comparison that is equitable to obesity (27%).
Starting the Conversation
So, the best thing I can do right now, as a doctor and a member of society, is talk about loneliness.
As an introvert and recovering people pleaser, posting my opinions online feels incredibly outside of my comfort zone. Or as I Bear Grylls once described it, the comfort pit (comfort pit = somewhere you want to get out of as fast as possible4). However, it’s come to a point where I feel this I an issue that’s too important to remain silent about.
So here I am, using whatever skills I may have to start the conversation. My hope is that by talking about it, we can begin to break the stigma and build a society where no one feels ashamed to admit they need connection.
Kind regards,
References
1. Barreto, M. et al. Exploring the nature and variation of the stigma associated with loneliness. J Soc Pers Relat 39, (2022).
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s Welfare 2023 Data Insights. Data Insights (2023).
3. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T. & Stephenson, D. Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality: A Meta-Analytic Review. Perspectives on Psychological Science 10, (2015).
4. Bear Grylls. A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character. (Penguin Books, 2014).