I wrote a piece before on this subject. A little tongue in cheek, with an element of sarcasm. This time, I’m not going to preach or throw up solutions, more a case of plant a seed in your head, and hopefully you will give it some thought.  

Most people associate loneliness as being a condition which is brought on by being at home. Yes it is, to a degree true, but that is not the whole story. As I’ve said in the last article, we need to address this. 

 I don’t know about you, but some of the loneliest and most painful times I’ve had have been in a crowd. Yes, I have felt at my loneliest surrounded by a lot of people.  As I said this is about getting people to think on the subject of loneliness and to talk about it.  

When you’re talking to friends, colleagues, strangers, anyone, feel free to bring this subject up. Mention the neighbour, who never goes out or mixes with anybody else. They may not be the grumpy miserable type of fun spoiling person they are perceived to be but instead they may just be lonely.  

Notice that person at a party or function, who’s there in the crowd, but strangely on their own? They may not be the anti-social type by choice, but instead they may be shy and finding it difficult to initiate communication. Shyness feeds loneliness because it traps you on an island that seems to be drifting away from the mainland all the time.