Social Isolation is Harmful
It's more than just being lonely.



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What is Social Isolation?

Social isolation is a having little or no contact with other people. If you feel like an outcast, maybe because you want to be alone, or no one wants to be your friend, you can become socially isolated.

You may feel like no one is going through the same things you are. You may also be suffering from depression, anxiety, negative self-esteem, or some other emotional trauma. You may even become afraid of other people who might want to be your friend.

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What You Can Do to Cope with Social Isolation

  1. Practice deep breathing whenever you get anxious.
  2. Limit consuming news, especially negative stories.
  3. Limit consuming social media, especially put-downs and insults.
  4. Meditate daily.
  5. Journal your feelings, or share them on OK2TALK.org
  6. Try to stay in touch with at least one friend each day.

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When to Get Help

If the strategies above don't help or don't help enough, talk to your parents. Isolation is often triggered by a physical disability. Or it's part of another mental health problem, like depression, anxiety, OCD, or eating disorder. GirlsHealth.gov has a checklist for when to know it's time to get help. Also look at our Resources page for help with the other mental health problems.

"The walls of isolation are not as solid as your suffering makes them seem." - Deepak Chopra

Image by TréVoy Kelly from Pixabay