Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

Have you ever experienced loneliness for a prolonged period of time? When was it and what was the cause?
-Yes, my whole life, I am experiencing it as I type. ...I mean, that feels really glib, but it's kind of the truth. Even when I was surrounded by people, I always felt really alone because I've never been able to make friends easily and even when I do, I feel like they're being my friend out of pity and aren't really my friend. That effect isn't quite so bad online, but on the other hand, it's pretty difficult to see your online friends, especially when they live in another country. That ends up making my loneliness worse, because I can't just go see them. And aside from Rhay, I really don't have any friends here.

Why do you think there is more loneliness among those younger than 25 vs. those older than 65?
-I think that's in part due to the misconceptions the article mentioned. People expect older people to be lonely, so I think that people seek to make sure that doesn't happen. But people don't expect younger people to be lonely, so they just...ignore it. And then it only gets worse.

The article mentions loneliness vs. introversion. What is the difference between the two in your experience? Think about how you’d define each one.
-Well, I'm an introvert, so there's that. For me, introversion is when you feel content to be yourself and you get recharged by not being around people. Like for me, I hit my social interaction limit and that's it, I'm exhausted and all I want to do is be alone and not have to deal with people anymore. But loneliness is being alone and hating that fact.

The article also mentions that social media could be partially to blame. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why?
-I think that it could be partially to blame for some people. It's only helped me, because at least I can have online friends and talk to people. And when it isn't face to face, it curbs some of my social anxiety because I can reword things and it's not just whatever I blurt out. And like this group has helped me a lot to talk about my mental health on wdc, so there's that, too.

What are some other things that might be causing loneliness in young adults?
-There is so much pressure on school and jobs and stuff like that. A lot of people have to work multiple jobs and go to school, so they don't really have time to go and spend time with other people or make friends. The world in general is just...kind of sucking in a lot of ways right now, and it doesn't contribute to feeling good.

What do you think someone can do to help with loneliness?
-It might help to go and spend time outside, around people (or that might make you feel worse, since you don't know any of them). But if you feel really isolated, that might help. I personally feel like making friends online is helpful and maybe that can help you make friends offline, too.

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you."-Nietzsche