the loneliness epidemic

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, an 18 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: the loneliness epidemic 🫂 

the world health organization announced that loneliness is now a ‘global public health concern.’ they warn that loneliness could soon grow into an epidemic that leads to dementia, heart disease, stroke and premature death.

i’m not trying to scare you into becoming besties with random strangers, but loneliness is a bigger global issue than you probably initially thought. humans are naturally social beings — we raise families, historically have formed clans, and naturally gravitate towards joining social groups classified by religion, school clubs, work industries and much more. 👯 

no matter how introverted you are, human connection is an essential part of our lives. yet despite it's importance, social isolation is a growing problem as friendships become more short-term, divorce rates steadily rise, and the internet gives a false substitute for third places.

feeling alone is different from spending time with yourself. i love spending time by myself, but i find comfort knowing i can always call my friends and family to talk or invite them along to join me on an adventure. knowing i’m not really ever alone is like an invisible support always keeping me content. 💌 

i’ve noticed a trend in “dropping” friendships/relationships for small bumps along the way, and it has been exacerbated by the thousands of tiktok “relationship experts” dishing out unsolicited advice left and right: ex. “drop your friend if they didn’t wish you happy birthday.” like … can we be for real and communicate instead? 🗣️ 

this has led to a steep decline in long-term friendships — i’m so surprised when i meet someone that has a best friend from middle school nowadays. nurturing relationships takes work if you want them to last. it requires empathy, which itself is one of society’s largest problems.

if you feel like you’re socially isolated or find it hard to put yourself out there in social environments, i am always here if you want to strike up a conversation about literally anything. struggling with loneliness isn’t embarrassing, it’s so real and it’s impacting millions of people around the world with their physical health too. 🧘‍♀️ 

we should work towards crafting a more connected, healthy and positively social world together.

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