Loneliness Kills

As rates of loneliness increase, so, too, do rates of addiction, depression and other physical and mental health maladies.

In the United States, one-third of people have two or less people we can lean on. One quarter say they have no one to talk to.

When asked why, people answer that they are too busy or that families are spread apart. I’m certainly guilty of that. When the weekend rolls around some weeks, I want to do nothing more than sleep in and try to make order out of the chaos and mess that accrued during the week.

It would probably do all of us some good to remember that, as writer Annie Dillard once famously said, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.”

Reach out. It need not require a cross continental trip. It can be as simple as picking up the phone, taking a moment to send out a card, or visiting a neighbor who no longer drives.

Mother Teresa once said, “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love.”

Who knows? You may discover that a simple act of kindness benefits you as much or even more than your recipient.