America has a new epidemic. It can’t be treated using traditional therapies even though it has debilitating and even deadly consequences.
The problem seeping in at the corners of our communities is loneliness and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is hoping to generate awareness and offer remedies before it claims more lives.
“Most of us probably think of loneliness as just a bad feeling,” he told USA TODAY. “It turns out that loneliness has far greater implications for our health when we struggle with a sense of social disconnection, being lonely or isolated.”
Loneliness is detrimental to mental and physical health, experts say, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke and premature death. As researchers track record levels of self-reported loneliness, public health leaders are banding together to develop a public health framework to address the epidemic.
Everyone should be assigned a new middle name based on a random object and number. Then everyone with the same middle name should be considered cousins. I’ll be Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11, for example. All the Daffodil-11s will be an extended family – I’ll have family everywhere I go. Drop a pin on a map and you’ll find family members to meet or catch up with! Lonesome no more!
I don’t even want to keep up with my real cousins.
There are cultures around the world that work like this. I’m quite confident that I can knock on the door containing the symbol of my people anywhere in the world I can find it and with a few simple words be invited in for a meal and a visit.
You just gotta know the vampire code secret words.
That’s fine and dandy until cousin Joe Daffodil-11 stabs you at the Wendy’s parking lot.
It costs too much to be out and be social. There is no place for people to congregate that doesn’t require you to spend money. Even churches have $ expectations. In most places the local public library is the last free third space. I know everyone seems to love remote work, but for me remote work forced the place of my biggest stress to be in my house and I hate it. I’ve been mostly remote for the last 13 years and I’ve realized that I need an onsite work place so I can maintain my home as my place of relaxation and escape.
I know it’s tough when you can’t separate work and home. I don’t know what your setup is, but I only use the work laptop and not the monitor and dock they sent so I don’t have to give permanent space to work stuff. When work is done the laptop closes and gets put in the work backpack next to my desk.
Likewise, I commute to my home work by going on a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood before and after so I get some time separation. Giving myself time after work especially to mentally come home was important.
Best of luck figuring out the right balance!
Not just the cost, but the fact that so many people are working 50+ hours a week just to survive and simply don’t have the time or energy. When you’ve gotta pick up a second job on the weekend to make rent, you’re probably not going to have any energy to go out.
I …
It’s the Capitalism
Alienation through the capitalization of the cognition. This coupled to the myth that the individual is responsible paved a way to isolation and loneliness.
I think the problem is literal mobility and social mobility. The friction between me and having a social experience ia huge. I have to drive, pay money to be in a private business space, and it all has to be easy enough to make happen that I can do it alone. We mostly have businesses and activities that suit multiple people going together.
So I imagine if there were more parks, more kinds of public activities, there was transit where Im surrounded by people going to the same place who I can ask for advice - that would be a huge improvement.
I wish I could have some time alone. I never have any time to myself.
The problem is that so many social interactions are forced and empty. We have to perform so many perfunctory social interactions that many people just don’t have the energy (even with extroverts to an extent) for more meaningful interactions.
Not only in America, unfortunately.
That’s why I’m glad I have friends I talk to every day, even if just online, and online communities I participate in, like through Lemmy or through Discord. It does help to stay connected to others.
ha ha it me fr fr
American corporations: “how can we monetize this”.
Friend as a service (FaaS)
Selling bf
Who writes this crap? They should be kicked off the planet.
When did we become so fucking soft? Palestinians and Ukrainians are having their homes bombed and we’re claiming an “epidemic” of loneliness???
Loneliness is detrimental to mental and physical health, experts say, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke and premature death.
That’s a stretch…
Yeah, I get it. Hard people make good times, good times make soft people, soft people make hard times…I’m there a little.
But…I I also very much agree that poor mental health leads to lots of physical issues. I live In a first world country, survived a war, and have gone from dont be soft to understanding people’s issues aren’t made up.
You might ask someone who struggles if you want to really understand.
