12/11/2023 0 Comments Im so tired of being lonelyTrue, these steps certainly help increase your chances for meaningful connections. You might arrive at the obvious solution first: You just need to get out more often and make more friends. Eventually, you might begin to see yourself as hopeless and believe there’s nothing you can do to improve the situation. The end result is often a cycle of distress that reinforces loneliness. This can greatly diminish the value of your interactions, leaving you feeling isolated and miserable - even among people you care about. You might, for example, turn down invitations, telling yourself, “They don’t really want to see me.” When you do see others, you might constantly worry about how they really feel toward you. If you fixate on these thoughts and believe you don’t deserve love or friendship, you might act in ways that reinforce this belief. This could show up in thoughts like, “Why would anyone want to date me? I’m so ugly,” or, “I haven’t changed my clothes in 3 days… that’s disgusting.” Self-disgust - which often relates to low self-worth - might involve negative feelings or harsh judgment toward specific actions or yourself as a whole. Feeling lonely, perhaps a little vulnerable, you begin looking for answers, and self-disgust emerges to offer a handy scapegoat. Maybe your friends don’t have much time to hang out lately or seem disinterested when you do see them. Research from 2018 suggests self-disgust as a potential link between loneliness and depression. Still, not everyone who experiences loneliness goes on to develop depression, so what gives? Why does loneliness only sometimes contribute to depression? The role of self-image These feelings of loneliness, when left unresolved, could eventually lead to depression and other mental health concerns. Yet others might spend time with people every day and still feel overwhelmingly alone. Some people who live alone and don’t see people regularly may not feel lonely at all. Social isolation doesn’t necessarily translate to loneliness, though. Still, feelings of social isolation or dissatisfaction with your relationships can absolutely play a part. It can also drain you, leaving you without the energy to try to connect.Ĭan loneliness eventually become depression?ĭepression is a complex mental health condition that often develops from a combination of several factors. You might feel worthless, guilty, or believe other people don’t want to spend time with you. One other key difference? Depression can affect your interest in social interaction, making it difficult to reach out. Even when spending time with your partner or best friend, you might continue feeling listless, empty, and unable to engage. What’s more, if you have depression, social interaction might temporarily distract you, but it won’t always help. Without treatment from a trained mental health professional, depression symptoms can linger for years and become more serious. Once you meet those needs, you’ll probably feel less lonely.ĭepression, on the other hand, doesn’t just relate to the need for connection. Loneliness may not feel very comfortable, but it’s a transient emotional state that specifically relates to your needs for connection and belonging. The biggest distinction between loneliness and depression is that depression is a mental health condition, while loneliness is a feeling that tends to weigh you down as pervasively as depression does. Loneliness and depression can involve similar feelings, so it’s not always easy to recognize where one ends and the other begins. Share on Pinterest Carlina Teteris/Getty Imagesĭetermining the cause of emotional distress is always a good first step toward managing unwanted feelings, so the short answer is yes: It does matter whether you’re dealing with loneliness or depression.
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