Photo: fizkes / Shutterstock
For some people, the holiday season can be a more complicated mix of feelings, including melancholy, loneliness, and isolation.
Particularly in America, many may choose to keep their distance again this year during the “tridemic” from the flu, COVID- and the virus respiratory syncytial (RSV).
A study of 2067320768 of
Morning Consult found that 54% of Americans feel lonely , some due to circumstances beyond their control and others by choice.
In this regard, Dr. Jeremy Nobel, who teaches a class on loneliness at Harvard, says societal expectations play a role in loneliness during the holiday season.
“It is not just the isolation, it is the expectation created by the culture, by announcing that the only normal way to be in the parties, the only way to access joy and celebration is to be with others,” Nobel told PBS NewsHour’s Nicole Ellis.
Loneliness and isolation are often associated with their effects on mental and emotional health. But Nobel says it’s also important to understand the impact on physical health that experiencing such feelings can have.
Loneliness is an opportunity to connect with you
Regardless of the type of loneliness a person experiences , Nobel says that connection with oneself is important to grow connections with others.
“Often the path to connecting with others begins with connecting with yourself. Giving yourself space, being authentically curious about what matters to you in the world, what interests you”, recommends Nobel.
Explain that in this way So as you move towards that and explore that, you open up channels to connect with other people who have similar curiosities and interests.
“You can express that curiosity in the object made, be it a drawing, a poem or even a cheesecake that you then take to your next door neighbor”, he said.
“That made object is something that can later be invite conversation and [it is] those conversations and their authenticities that connect us.”
Nobel launched and leads Project Unlonely at the Foundation for Art & Healing, which promotes the creative arts as a way to explore curiosities and make connections.
They explain that the authentic connection with yourself and with others ay help pave the way and that getting involved in the arts can help support mental and physical health.
The site offers creative activities that can try on your own or send to someone else you’re thinking of this season, as well as movies from your UnLonely Film Festival to watch, discuss and share.
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