How to combat loneliness?

The best remedy for avoiding social isolation and loneliness is marriage or living with a partner. Research has proved the caring and shielding effect of a very close and cherished bond with a person that ensures mental well-being in both men and women. It is the content of the relationship and not the official status that is important for the couples.  Partners with bonds are better protected than individuals. To prevent or alleviate loneliness the partner or spouse must be supportive and share some common interests. Without a partner, both men and women are more vulnerable to loneliness because without a partner, whether living together or living apart the main framework in the influence of the social net is missing.

The magnitude and larger arrangement of any social network are invariably connected with the presence of a partner. People living alone have smaller networks than those living with partners. In case help is needed the person living alone does not have in-house support and have to look to others for help outside of their individual environs. Usually, people living alone have lost their partner through divorce, separation or death. Those who do not form new relationships are specifically at risk of loneliness. The intensity or effects of relationship loss might not be immediately apparent but it becomes painfully evident with the passage of time Even the loss of a sibling can make a person feel very lonely.

Someone that they grew up with and shared most life experiences is no more and the loss is usually unbearable. Older people who have no inclination to get married for any number of reasons can alleviate their isolation by keeping in contact with their children or if possible living with them. The interactive bond of the family encourages conversation across generations and grandchildren are like a balm that soothes and alleviates the pain of being alone. The common blood ties with children and grandchildren, the shared stories of their parents and other members of the family growing up together and having the same background make for lively conversation and greater bonding.

Friends are equally important to protect against loneliness because of the joy of spending time together, the sympathy, kindness, nd consideration of the personal ups and downs and exchanging stories and ideas are ideal for connecting with people who are outside their immediate family. There are innumerable advantages of being in a relationship outside the family because it invariably reduces the feeling of social loneliness. Best friends serve as confidants and thereby help to alleviate emotional loneliness especially for never married and childless older people.  Involvement in social and charitable organizations, Church attendance and other voluntary activities.