Are you lonely? Psychologist reveals 12 subtle signs – and the reason why other people may not notice
A psychologist has revealed 12 subtle signs you may be suffering from loneliness – from restlessness to losing your sense of purpose.
Birmingham-based chartered psychologist Dr. Lalitaa Suglani, who offers courses on topics such as coping with anxiety, overcoming fear, impostor syndrome, took to Instagram to share information on the topic in a recent after.
The signs include disconnecting from loved ones and feeling constantly exhausted.
Accompanying the 12-character list was an extended caption in which Dr. Lalitaa discussed loneliness.
She pointed out that “we are all on our own journey,” and as a result, we all have “our own experiences of what makes us lonely.”
Loneliness was described as ‘the state of being alone and feeling sad about it’ by clinical psychologist Dr Suglani (stock image)
The American Psychological Association defines loneliness as “affective and cognitive discomfort or uneasiness from being alone or otherwise lonely or perceived to be alone.”
Dr. Lalitaa described loneliness in the post’s caption as “the state of being alone and sad about it.”
She added, “You can be alone — and enjoy every minute of it.”
“But most of us experience loneliness from time to time.”
She then shared 12 subtle signs you may be suffering from loneliness in the Instagram post.
The first sign she listed was disconnection from loved ones, followed by feeling constantly tired/exhausted.
Another sign on the list was the loss of target.
This was followed by taking very long and hot showers and the inability to stop binge watching shows.
Being lonely can affect your motivation, according to the psychologist, who cited a lack of motivation or being unproductive as another subtle sign that you might be lonely.
Spending a lot of time on social media was another point on Dr. Lalitaa’s list of 12 subtle signs of loneliness.
She also listed the feeling that “everything” is an effort, and feelings of restlessness.
Other signs on the list included negative self-esteem and frequent self-doubt.
Those who suffer from loneliness may appear withdrawn or moody, according to the psychologist.
And finally, she said, loneliness can disrupt your sleep patterns or eating habits.
Dr. Lalitaa also noted, “Loneliness is not always obvious in someone else, so let’s choose to be kind, because we don’t know what someone is going through.”
The post seemed to strike a chord with a number of readers, who took to the comment section to share their own experiences with loneliness.
A number of people who saw the post took to the comment section to discuss their own experiences with loneliness
One wrote: ‘Everything. Growing up as the only child with abusive parents, I always felt lonely without realizing it. I didn’t know what being lonely was because I felt that every day, it felt normal.’
And another suggested they feel the same way, adding, “Everyone resonates with me.”
Just like another poster who said, ‘Well, I feel seen.’
Another pointed out how helpful the post could be for many people, writing, “We often ignore these clues and think it’s no big deal.”
Another poster took to the comment section and simply wrote, “Yeah. That’s me.’