Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Close Banner
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

Living Alone? You May Be More Likely To Struggle With Mental Health

Madison Vanderberg
Author:
May 02, 2019
Madison Vanderberg
By Madison Vanderberg
mbg Contributor
Madison Vanderberg is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer, editor, and screenwriter specializing in the women's lifestyle space with a bachelor's in sociology from UCLA. When she isn’t writing, she's googling skincare products to spend her paycheck on or baking gluten-free cookies. She’s written for HelloGiggles, Insider, Hunker, Racked, and more.
Image by Lauren Naefe / Stocksy
May 02, 2019

Living alone can be a freeing and positive experience for some. However, a new study1 in PLOS ONE shows mental health issues are more common among people who live alone.

Researchers used data from 20,500 individuals between ages 16 and 64 living in England who all took the National Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys in 1993, 2000, or 2007. They were surveyed about their neurotic symptoms during the previous week to determine their likelihood of having a common mental disorder, such as depression, generalized anxiety disorder, or social anxiety. Across all three years, they found people who live alone were more likely to have some kind of mental illness, regardless of age or gender.

The main reason? Loneliness. The data showed loneliness explained 84 percent of the connection between living alone and common mental disorders. In the paper, the researchers explain loneliness can often lead to compulsively focusing on one's own negative thoughts, social anxieties, phobias, physical symptoms like pain or fatigue, or addiction—all of which can lead to developing mental disorders as well.

That being said, living alone itself is not a surefire recipe for loneliness. Being alone does not equal loneliness, and many people who live on their own are, in fact, thriving and love it. Loneliness only arises when we lose connection with others and with ourselves, regardless of our living situation. Though as the study shows, that disconnection can be exasperated when we live by ourselves.

"Loneliness has to do with not being connected with others," relationship counselor Margaret Paul, Ph.D., tells mbg. "This alone, lost, hollow, empty feeling has to do with not being connected with ourselves and with a higher source of love. This alone feeling is the result of self-abandonment."

Paul says the key to avoiding loneliness is a healthy self-love practice, which ideally should take the form of mindfulness. Indeed, a 2019 study showed practicing mindfulness actually reduces loneliness in individuals and increases their social interactions. "Loving yourself means getting fully present in your body with your feelings," she explains. "It means turning toward them with compassion rather than avoiding them with self-abandoning behavior. It means wanting responsibility for learning what they are telling you about how you are treating yourself and for lovingly managing the painful feelings of life—the loneliness, heartbreak, grief, and helplessness that we all experience at times."

So if you currently live alone, don't panic that there's something automatically wrong with your mental health because of it. This study is simply a good reminder that, whether you love living on your own or you're feeling isolated because of it, always remember to prioritize feeling connected both with yourself and others.

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

Watch Next

Enjoy some of our favorite clips from classes

What Is Meditation?

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Light Watkins

Box Breathing

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

What Breathwork Can Address

Mindfulness/Spirituality | Gwen Dittmar

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

Yoga | Caley Alyssa

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

Nutrition | Rich Roll

What to Eat Before a Workout

Nutrition | Rich Roll

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Nutrition | Sahara Rose

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Love Languages

Love & Relationships | Esther Perel

Related Videos (10)

What Is Meditation?

Box Breathing

What Breathwork Can Address

The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?

Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips

How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance

What to Eat Before a Workout

How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life

Messages About Love & Relationships

Love Languages

Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

More On This Topic

more Health
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.
Advertisement
This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.