As the pace of life increases, so does the problem of loneliness. There is no shortage of crowds on the streets or on social media platforms. Yet many people feel lonely. Unfortunately, the tendency to avoid this mental issue, too, is increasing. It is a dangerous trend, as any sort of mental or psychological problem is not confined to one’s mind only, but also has a negative impact on the overall health of that person. It further affects one’s lifestyle. Statistics show that men suffer from the problem of loneliness more than women in India.

A recent survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics of the UK has found that 60% of 16-24-year-olds often feel lonely. According to another study conducted by Massachusetts-based Harvard University, loneliness has become an epidemic among 18-25-year-olds since the outbreak of COVID-19 Pandemic.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), too, has admitted that loneliness has become a serious, as well as critical, issue in the post-COVID era. A recent survey by an Indian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), called Yuva, has revealed that the number of young men is twice as likely suffering from loneliness than young women in the South Asian nation. Psychologists are of the opinion that the epidemic of loneliness is affecting the Indian youths, but no one is aware of this.

Various surveys have shown that one can feel lonely even if s/he is in the company of many people! The younger generations often look for friends on social media in order to avoid the problem of loneliness. However, social media push them further away from the real world.

To get rid of loneliness, one has to understand her/his own mind first. The person would also have to recognise her/his comfort zones. When a person feels emotionally detached, s/he cannot enjoy her/his success and achievements. Peace of mind is more important than success. At the same time, it is also important for a person to enjoy her/his small and temporary achievements. Still most of the time, one cannot get rid of loneliness, in spite of doing all these.

Each and every person needs another person to share her/his thoughts. It is necessary for the second person not to make any negative comments after hearing the problems of the first one. A psychologist can be one’s trusted companion in this case. S/he is the one who can read a person’s mind and guide that person back to a normal and healthy life.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das