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Loneliness may be almost an epidemic these days, but it's still a taboo subject. How many people bother to bring this up in social conversations? For many, the courage to face this begins with the shameless admission that they are alone. A young widow in her 40s spoke candidly about her experiences in an email interview with me. “After losing my wife four years ago, I felt alone,” he wrote. “I take an hour every day to sit with my grief and acknowledge it without judgment. “The rest of the day, I engaged in activities that helped me connect more with myself and others,” including going for morning walks together, taking yoga classes, and cooking healthy meals myself.
In her latest book, The Joy of Communication, published in September of this year, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America's most famous sex therapist, gives readers 100 strategies for cultivating long-term relationships and reminds us that human intimacy can be achieved even in society's most difficult circumstances Our broken world Dr. Roth, as he is known here by his admirers, recommends “acknowledging loneliness” as an essential first step in loosening the grip of loneliness. At Lounge we take a step back from Dr. Roth's book and show ways to proactively communicate this holiday season.
When 27-year-old Sagar Aggarwal moved to Bengaluru in 2022, he had no office to go to. Working from home meant I had to work twice as hard to socialize in the city. Going to sporting events and networking events was pointless. He hadn't made any new friends. “People come to networking events with the specific purpose of meeting each other or building a professional network,” he recalls. We used to exchange Instagram usernames, but as he soon found out, you don't become friends if you only meet them once. You also can't be friends with people who have different intentions than you. I just collected phone numbers knowing I would never see or speak to them again.
Although its origins are purely organic, it is positioned as a club for like-minded people who can come together in a safe environment. “I started Opar for people like me, working with restaurants and other local partners to create space and create events and experiences. Art and film. The club, which now has branches in Bangalore and Hyderabad, has grown to 5,000. This reflects the growing need.” For communities that focus on authentic interaction, Agarwal emphasized that building lasting connections takes time and friendships also don’t happen
Sometimes you feel left out, even among familiar faces. This is why queer poet and writer Rohini Maroa launched Queer Reads Bangalore (QRB) in 2012. It's a book club that offers queer people a free space to discuss literature for and by queer people. Maroa acknowledges that the loneliness factor is more acute and complex for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. “In 2012, there was no guarantee that you would be welcome in a gender diverse space, not so much in books but in a more purposeful and safe space,” he says. Currently, a diverse group of people are members of the QRB. Some people just come to book clubs and don't really socialize outside of book clubs, some meet people at book clubs and other weird events, and some are good friends who spend time together everywhere. They go there too.
When queer people come to Bangalore and don’t know how to make friends, I encourage them to join support and activism groups like QRB or what to do,” notes Malava. Accept “weak ties”: Dr. Roth also emphasizes the value of pursuing Platonic forms of communication. Whether you're a work friend, a casual friend/acquaintance, or the friend of a friend, each of these friendships is worth cultivating because they make you feel seen. Gillian Sundström, lecturer in psychology at the University of Essex, found in her 2014 study "Social Interaction and Well-Being: The Surprising Power of Weak Ties" that participants with larger networks of weak ties were happier overall and had a high Levels of happiness There, even brief interactions with “weak ties” like baristas or dog handlers can increase feelings of well-being and belonging.
"Path to interaction", dr. The book of Ruth and the events mentioned here are part of a series of efforts. At a time when more people than ever feel lonely, her words can serve as a guide: "All types of relationships require attention and care, whether it's greeting close friends or strangers every morning."
How to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness: Loneliness is clinically defined as an anxious experience that occurs when a person feels torn between desired and actual social relationships. We've all probably felt it at some point in our lives, but chronic loneliness is like a dead weight that steals our light.
It has been shown to have significant effects on mental and physical health, and over time to contribute to conditions such as depression, anxiety and cognitive decline. To combat loneliness, health professionals often recommend interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps people reframe their social experiences, and lifestyle changes such as increasing physical activity, participating in social activities, or increasing flexibility.
