Loneliness Could Lead To Depression

Do you know someone who lives alone or feels lonely? Many people feel lonely even if they are not alone. I see a lot of people who don't even talk to each other even if they know each other, because they escape into their own little world with their mobile phone or the music they listen to on the street or while travelling.

This was not always the case. Sadly, I notice that people, friends and even family members at home are becoming estranged. Since the outbreak of the "IT revolution", there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people, who talk less and less face to face, instead using their smartphones to text each other or better still, they use video chat.

There are more and more virtual friends, which is fine, because since it's a social media platform, why not make friends with new people - it is a social media platform after all. The problem is that at work, people are still staring at their phones during their lunch break, hoping that the picture or thought they posted that morning, has found a few likes. Then it continues at home, instead of people discussing what happened to them throughout the day, they turn into themselves and silently stair at their devices. It is called social loneliness.

The Reason For The Introversion

• Perhaps many people think, that they are not cared for or do not get enough love from others.

• They feel they are failing and become discouraged and desperate.

• They have no one to share their everyday problems with, because no one cares what is hurting them.

• Fear of not accepting and not understanding them by others.

If they can't talk about any problems they have, with friends or family at home, there is nothing else they can do, somehow they have to let their feelings out. That's where the internet comes in, allowing them to pour their hearts out to anyone, even to complete strangers.

Unfortunately, loneliness is also a problem for teenagers, which is why many young people do not really plan their future or think about starting a family later on. They live entirely for today and try to find momentary pleasure in the virtual space.

A Typical Zeitgeist

There is nothing to deny that. Whether at home, in a mall, in a diner, with a group of friends or anywhere. Everyone has a smartphone and internet access is available everywhere. So we undeniably take out our phones and check out the following:

• Who's doing what

• Where they are travelling to

• What movie they're watching or what music they're listening to

• What they are having for lunch or dinner

• Where they walk their dog

• What they ordered online and so on

In some inexplicable way, we are curious about these trivial and unimportant things and on the other side, the poster is eager for someone to drop a like or a comment. This in itself would not be so bad, but if we do it in company, we are rightly accused of being anti-social, which we don't even notice, because we are so engrossed in what others are doing who is not even there.

It is no wonder, that kindness and devotion are slowly being pushed into the background and physical human relationships are becoming empty. Nor would I be surprised if someone in the family didn't even notice what was happening to the other family member.

Let me tell you a short little story.

I used to work in a restaurant, needless to say, where the parents bring the tablet with them unconditionally, because the child won't eat anything without a story.

It happened, that a mother with a big family had finished dinner and they were leaving the restaurant. I saw a little girl crying in the middle of the restaurant looking for her siblings and her mummy. It turned out, that they had left the little girl there by mistake, and a little while later two of her brothers came back to take her home. If I hadn't seen that, I wouldn't have believed it.

Loneliness Often Comes With Depression

We should know, that people who spend a significant part of their days on the internet, because of loneliness, can easily become addicted and in the absence of face-to-face communication and physical cultivation of human relationships in general, depression can occur, which can lead to mental or psychological illness.

Loneliness And Depression Can Be Avoided

As I alluded to earlier in the article, self-deprecating, self-pitying people find it easier to turn to the internet to vent their problems and troubles to others.

This should be overcome by trying to live happier lives. If somebody live alone, they should not be lonely. They should simply seek the company of other people, be open to them, kind and selfless. Then people will relate to these people in a different way. Personal communication is a key factor in not being isolated from others.

They need to seek the company of positive people and let them know that they are there and that they are always selflessly able to help anyone in need. They should not seek conflict with others and try to live peacefully with everyone. It is important however to filter out those, who flatteringly try to get close to them with bad intentions in the background.

If they have a family, they should spend as much time as they can with them, as they are the most important to them. They also should talk to them about anything. Happiness or sorrow, but the important thing is that they feel cared for. Showing them respect is also key.

Social media platforms can come after that as a second-rate pastime. However, they should be careful not to post their own problems and intimate feelings there. Scammers can easily exploit this against them.

If people try to live the way that makes them happy and try to stick to these points I mentioned loneliness and depression could be prevented.

Lead Image Source: Unsplash via Pawel Czerwinski