Surveys have found that  are feel🙈ing lonely right now. And this rate is far hig🐠her than it was in the 1970s.

Many people💟 may blame this trend on a variety of factors. These include technology and longer working hour𒐪s. But there may be something else at play. 

The rate of mental health disorders has also been increasing. Having a mental health disorder can lead to social health issues. So maybe the increase in mental illnesses has led to a🌺n increase in social illnesses. 

But things aren't that simple. Poor social health can al🐟so lead to poor mental health. Read on to learn more about the connection between the two. 

What Is Mental Health? 

If physical health refers to the health of the body,  refers to th🌃e health of the mind. Our relative level of mental health affects how we act, think, and feel. 

In addition, it affects how we make choices and handleꦯ adversity. Plus, we empathize better wi🌠th others when we're mentally healthy. 

Good Mental Health 

Someone with good mental health may be able to cope with life's problems better. This can help them perform better at work and/or school. Plus, they can build strong and healthy relationships and be active members ofไ their communities.

In general, when someone has great mental health, they're more likely toᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ function better as a human.&n༒bsp;

Bad Mental Health

People with poor mental health are more likely to function poorly. They may struggle with daily tasks, relationships, an💟d work and/or school. Personal development may also be a struggle for these people. 

As a result, they may not contribute as much to the world ꦛaround them. 

Mental Health Varies 

Keep in mi🍒nd that mental health isn't a one size fit♚s all.

One person with a mental illness may seem happy 🔜and do well in relationships. But they may struggle at work or school. Another person may seem unhappy and isolated but find great success in work or school.

Yet, a loved one may worry about the latter person more than the former. The latter person is more clearly exhibiting emotional problems. 🌜Still, the former person may be more of a danger to themselves than the latt𒁏er person. 

Mental health is a jumble o𝓡f factors and symptoms. In some situations, some of these can worsen others. In other situations, certain factors and symptoms won't a♚ffect others. 

What Is Emotional Health? 

Many experts will divide mental health into subcategories like social aღnd emotional health.  refers to someone's ability to handle and cont𝓀rol their emotions. 

Good Emotional Health 

Someone with good emotional health will still experience negative emotions. However, this individual will experieꦚnce these emotions at a much lower intensity level.

One's emotional intensity level isn't always the victim's fault. Sometimes a higher emotional intensity is the result of genetics. However♎, this isn't usually the case. 

Emotionally healthy individuals likely have coping mechanisms in place. They turn to them when they experience negative emotions. This can make these emotions easier 🍌to d🐻eal with. 

Bad Emotional Health 

Bad♓ emotional health doesn't necessarily result from a lack of coping mechanisms. In many cases, people who have emotional problems also have coping sk🌱ills. Issues occur when their coping mechanisms are not healthy. 

Bad coping mechanisms are often harmful actions. They can include addictions like drugs, social media, and alcohol.🗹 Indulging in these addictions can worsen their emotional health over time.

What Is Social Health? 

Your social health depends on how well you build relationships.♈ It also relates to the quality of those relationships. This often depends on how well you handle social situatio🍒ns. 

Some experts believe that  🦩;is an aspect of mental health. Others believe that it's separate. What matters🥃 most is that social health can affect mental and emotional issues. 

The reverse is also true. 

Good Social Health 

Someone who is sociall🌊y healthy can handle social situations with ease. They can read the emoti𝔉ons and actions of others well. In addition, they can act in ways other people will like. 

Because of this, people will want to be around them. As a result, the socially healthy person will form relationships with these people. In the best scenarios, these relationships will be deep and long-lasting. ⭕;

Bad Social Health 

A person with the worst possible social health will be unable to form relationships. There 𒆙are a lot of reasons why this can happen. This article will explain more abou🌄t such situations further below. 

Remember, though, that mental health isn't as black and white as people may want to believe. People who are socially unhealthy may be able ꧅to form relationships. The relationships they form, however, may be of poor quality.&nbs🌊p;

Problems Caused By Poor Social Health 

Humans are social creatures. Having genu🏅ine connections with people around us is vital for us. If we have poor social health, ou🐈r health is likely failing in other ways as well. 

This isn't just wishful thinking. Scientists have proven again and again how loneli💯ness affects our health. Consider the following issues:&nbs💙p;

Emotional Illnesses 

People wh💛o  are mo♍re likely to struggle with emotional illnesses. Such illnesses include anxiety and depression. 

This makes sense. Strong social bonds can protect us from some of life's challenges. For example, a friend or family member can lend you mone🎀y when you're broke. 

More scientifically, however, scientists have found that loneliness increases 168极速赛车官方入口:stress hormones like cortisol. An overabundance of these chemicals can trigger anxiety and depression. Pe♎rhaps we have this reaction because our genetics want us to st꧙ay together. 

Addictions 

Addiction ꦗissues a🦩re also common for people who feel lonely. Scientists have found several correlations between loneliness and people who have "classic" addictions. That is, loneliness was correlated with drug addiction and alcoholism. 

More recently, scientists have found links between loneliness and 🧸other digital addictions. , for instance, found a link between loneliness and smartphone ad൩diction. Other studies have found links between video game addiction and loneliness. 

Also, people deal with negative feelings by taking substances. And loneliness causes negative feelings. So it makes sense for loneliness to cause negative feeling🧸s. 

Suicidal Thoughts 

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are other factors that loneliness c𒈔an create or aggravate. Experts found that social network issues often occurred before suicide attempts. Romantic issues were one of t💜he most prominent causes. 

Conside🦩r also that lonely people may spend a lot of time . Doing this can cause them to ruminate about their i෴ssues. Without any distraction, these thoughts can become more intense until they're unmanageable. 

Plus, mental health issues can also cause suicidal behaviors. And as we mentioned, loneliness can lead to emo🃏tional problems like anxiety and depression. 

Insomnia 

People who struggle with in🌜somnia are less social. But loneliness may not have caused insomnia. Many people have sleep difficulties first and have loneliness issues later. 

Could sleeping issues make people less socially healthy? It's possible. Researchers found that sleeﷺpier individuals  with others. 

On top of this, sleep issues can make people struggle to regulate their emotions. This could cause them to act negaꦕtively toward other people. As a result, they may scare these people away. 

Heart Failure 

Accordin♌g to , loneliness increased the risk of heart failure death by 15% to 20%. The study also looked at social isolation. However, 🐼loneliness was a more important factor. 

What's interesting is how this study defines loneliness. These experts de🏅fined loneliness as "feeling lonely". So ev๊en people with many friends and family members could feel lonely. 

This feeling could happen because of poor relationships. However, a mental illness can also cause this feeling. Many mental illnesses can cause self-confidence an🐼d paranoia issues. 

Immune System Issues 

Scientists have found that 🅺socially isolated individuals experience a . Their immune systems can overreact to bacteria and/or viruses.

This can eventually cause them to tire and shut dow✃n. The body isn't meant to have a high immune response for a long period. As a result, diseases can affect lonely individuals more.

Keep in mind that this happens alongside addictions and sleeping issues. So a person who is not socially healthy will stru🍷ggle with their health a lot. This can, in turn, cause them to feel bad and sink into mental health issues. 

Cancer 

Lonely men have higher chanceꦐs of developing cancer later in life. The specific study  showed that lung cancer was most associated with loneliness. But experts in other studies have connectꦺed loneliness to colon cancer. 

Maybe the aforementioned immune system issue was behind this. After all, cancer cells are eradicated by the immune system regularly𝓀. A tired immune system can't fight cancer cells. 

Earlier Mortality 

People who aren't socially healthy have a hig🐟her chance of dying prematurely. To be 🔯more specific, they have an increased early mortality chance . Some experts even estimate that loneliness is more dangerous than obesity or smoking. 

This should come as no surprise. Look back at all of the lonelines⛎s-related health hazards. 

Memory Aging 

 looked at 46,240 adults that were 65 years or older. These seniors were given a questionnaire. In it, they answered questions about their social health and memory h𓄧ealth.  

These experts found that not being socially healthy led to me🔯mory problems. That is, lonely seniors were more likely to have dementia-related conditions. 

However, scientists have found that social isolation doesn't have the same effect . This study found that lonely Swedishﷺ seniors had memoryꦿ issues. Lonely German seniors didn't have the same issues. 

Perhaps cultural differences can make individuals m🍰ore loneliness 🤡tolerant. In addition, maybe not being socially healthy is more subjective than objective. 

Educational Performance 

Loneliness can also make it more difficult for students to succeed in school. Lonely young adults achieve less academically  than their less lonely peers. They are also more likely to drop out of school by age 16. ⛎;

Negative social outcomes may lead to students thinking negatively about school. As a result, they may want to leave school as soon as possible. This m𓆉ay especℱially be the case when they face extreme social problems like bullying. 

In addition, loneliness causes sleeping issues. These issues could make it more difficult for students to learn and work. 168极速赛车官方入口:These struggles can cause them to flunk out of school or get into 🌠poorer-quality 🎃colleges. 

Work Performance 

Work effectiveness can🍸 also lessen in the fact of loneliness. Workers who don't feel connected to their peers become detached from the organization. As a result, they'll be less involved in functions and dec🐬ision-making processes. 

This lack of motivation can also cause a drop in the 168极速赛车官方入口:employee's job performance. They may also struggle in training. Loneliness affects memory and other cognitive well-being fa🌼ctors.

Plus, these employees are likely to quit their jobs. How can they continue to work at places where they don'𓂃t feel a sense of belonging? To them, it likely makes ♛no sense. 

Team leaders can make efforts to alleviate employees' loneliness. Unfortunately, they may believe that employees should deal with loneliness on their own.&n⛦bsp;

What Factors Worsen Social Health? 

People usually don't choose to be bad at social interaction. They bജecome this way due to outside factors. Below, you'll find examples of some of the⛎se factors. 

Emotional Dysregulation 

Emotional prob🥃lems don't just come from loneliness. They can also cause loneliness.  found that lonelier people dealt with matters in eཧmotionally unhealthy ways. 

These issues caused people to reject or withdraw from others. Thi🍷s makes sense. People with poor emotional health may believe✨ they're "not good enough" to be with others. 

Plus, p𒀰eople who struggle with emotional regulation likely struggle to stay calm around friends. They𒁃 could have emotional breakdowns in front of them that friends can't quell. This can push friends and family members away. 

Social Anxiety 

 often feel intensely afraid of interac🍒ting with others. They may worry about embarrassing themselves in front of people. In addition, they expect the worst outcomes to come fr👍om social situations. 

To protect themselves from their fears, these individuals may avoid social situations. 𝄹This doesn't just have to include noisy parties and club activities. They can also attempꦺt to avoid work, school, and other obligations. 

It's obvious how social anxiety can make people socially isolated. Buꩵt loneliness can cause social anxiety too. Feeling unloved can make one anxious. 

So it can be a vicious cycle. 

Autism 

Autism is another mental health disorder that can cause loneliness. Many people with autism spec♉trum disorder (ASD) have low sociaౠl skills. This happens for many reasons. 

To start with, many autisti♎c individuals struggle to read non-verbal communication cues. Others acquire speaking skills later than usual. They can also blow up as a re🤪sult of struggling with these issues. 

Autistic individuals can acquire social skills. Certain psychological strategies can help them. Unfortunately, these methods only work so well.ও 

Therefore, ASD individuals may struggle to gain social relationships. This 🌊is unfortunate, as many autistic people desperately want to be socially healthy. 

ADHD 

Attentive deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is related to ASD in many ways. Some people have both ASD and ADHD at the same time. Perhaps this is 🍸why many people categorize them together under the term "neurodiversity". 

In addition,  in social situations. But this isn't necessarily because they struggle to read soc꧋ial skills. Their social struggle mostly comes from some of the 𒈔actions ADHD makes them perform. 

Great communicators are attentiv🦋e, responsible, and not impulsive. These are things that ADHDers are 🐓not. They struggle to pay attention, forget things often, and are impulsive. 

Someone without ADHD may find t🌟his behavior rude. So the ADHD individual will be constantly socially rejected. At a certain point, ADHDers will give up on being socially 🐻healthy. 

Depression 

Loneliness💝 can cause depression. However, depression can also🎶 cause people to withdraw socially. 

One of the symptoms of depression is losing interest in activities one used to enjoy. This can include💝 being around loved ones. In addition, you may lose interest in activities you do with loved ones. 

In addition, it can be hard for mentall෴y healthy individuals to understand depressed𝓡 people. Loved ones may believe the victims can snap out of it if you try. They may also think that they're too privileged to be depressed. 

When depressed people f🍎eel misunderstood, they may withdraw from their loved ones. This can make their social isolation and its consequences worse than before. 

Borderline Personality Disorder 

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) sufferers often exhibit moo꧃d swings and intense emotions. As mentioned, emotional problems can lead toౠ issues with social health. In addition, people with BPD may attempt to push loved ones away. 

Conversely, many victims of this d💎isorder fear abandonment. So they may act aggressively and/or impulsively toward a loved one to keep them close. This can cause them to push their loved ones away unintentionally. 

You can see how this situation can become difficult. Luckily, there are therapies available for BPD individuals that can help. This can improve🧸 these social skills and make them more socially heal🧔thy. 

Being Older 

People of certain ages are less likely to be socially healthy 🐷than others. For example, older adults  than younger adults. They experience this more because of some of the unique challenges they face. 

Oldꦍer people live alone in greater numbers. This is🌜 because many of their friends may have passed on. In addition, their older friends may struggle to visit them because of mobility issues. 

Hearing issues are another social barrier. It can be difficult for people with hearing loss to communicate with others. Even if seniors have people around them, they may feel lo🐓nely because they can't understand them.&♒nbsp;

Luckily, special programs such as Friend to Friend America combat senior🌸 loneliness. Seniors can also be social in living centers. This should help minimize the health effects of loneliness. 

Being Younger 

It's not just the elderly who feel lonely. Younger people are struggling too. 🀅However, this may be a more rܫecent phenomenon. 

 have found that Gen Z and Millennials were lonel๊ier than other generations. Experts have many theories as to why this is the case. Technological dependence is, of course, one of them. 

However, changing family dynamics is another possible contri🐼butor. Gen Zers lived in single-parent households more than other gener🌸ations. They also had fewer family meals together with their families. 

So society could be changꦅing in a way that m♊akes people lonelier. 

Discrimination 

Groups of people who are discriminated against can also be lonely. One study found that  struggled with loneliness. That was a higher rate than t🌟he general population. 

A similar cღoncern happens with LGBTQ+ members. Sexuality 🥃minorities are more likely to be single and childless. Also, they have less contact with their original families. 

Many are doing what they can to 168极速赛车官方入口:fight discrimination. One ca𒁏n hope that these efforts will ꩲsucceed. When they do, minorities will hopefully be more socially healthy. 

Work 

Work is als📖o pushing people into loneliness. For one thing, longer working ꦏhours are leaving people without personal time. In America, this is worse: US workers have less vacation time than in other countries. 

Plus, there's the matter of work burnout. This can leave peop🧸l🦋e feeling exhausted and dehumanized. These symptoms can . 

The only cure for this is 🔯a better work-life balance. Unfortunately, that's hಞarder to do these days. The minimum wage isn't rising but inflation is. 

Perhaps getting a better job can help. 

Social, Mental, and Emotional Health Connections 

As you can see, mental illnesses can become vicious cycles. Mental health issues🌟 can🦄 exacerbate social ones. Social health issues can exacerbate mental illness issues.

Much of the same thing happens with emotional health issues. Emotional problems can break people apart. People are less emotionally stable when they're lonely. ꦦ;

However, there's more to it than that. Let's go over what we've le🗹arned. The links between social, mental, and emotional health issues are: 

Mental/Emotional Issues Cause Loneliness 

People who struggle with mental issues can be more isolate�𓂃�d. Their mental illness may cause them to push people away. This happens because of exhaustion, not feeling good enough, etc. 

In other situations, people push the mentally ill away. Symptoms of certain emotional health problems can seem rude or frightening. This isn't th꧑e ill person's fault.

Loneliness Causes Mental/Emotional Issues 

Unfortunately, loneliness can make existing emotional problems worse. People who find isolation for other reasons may dev♓elop emotional problems. These can make it harder for them to fꩵind people. 

Other Issues That Cause Loneliness 

Emotional and ment๊al issues aren't the only causes of loneliness. Other factors can lessen or increase loneliness as well. 

Someone's race, sexuality, and/or gender identity can isolate them from others. They can also be in situations where they can't reach others easily𝓰. 

Other Consequences of Loneliness 

Lonely people don't just 🌜deal with mental and emotional problems. They can also experience health problems. These will cause them to live a shorter l🧸ife. 

Then there are the functional issues. People who struggle in work and school will experience more stress. 🧸This can cause mไore mental and emotional health issues. 

Ways to Better Your Social Health 

Luckily, no one is stuck with poor social health. There are many ways you can relieve these issues. Doing this may free you ♋from the vicious cycle. 

Take the following steps: 

Treat Your Mental Illness 

Do you suffer from mental or emotional health problems? If so, you should seek treatment. Doing this can improv♍e your social health. 

Yes, psychological treatment can get expensive. But there are plenty of lower-cost options available these daysও. Some states even offer publically funded mental health treatment. 

Do your research and leave no🌸 stone turned. If you can't find mental health help, use the many information sources available on the internet. There are many books, articles, anಌd videos available that can help you. 

Strengthen Your Relationships

Do you already have🐈 friends but still feel lonely? It could be that your relationships aren't deep enough. Luckily, there are ways to dee☂pen relationships. 

Try asking the friends you have out for activities. You can use the time you spen🅰d with them to int📖eract and grow closer. They'll be asking you for events soon. 

This technique can work even if you're not🌸 close to people. It's one of the best ways to turn a✱cquaintances into friends. 

Balance Your Life and Work 

Having 168极速赛车官方入口:a good work/life balance can give you the time for social activities. If you want to be more social, push for less work hours. Even if it seems impossible, you may feel su🌸rprised at😼 how easy it is in practice. 

Ask your boss for fewer hours. If they don't grant your request, try to look for any time wasters you have. Do you need all those video game hours or can you sacrifice them for time with friends? 🤪;

Getting a new job is also an option. Jus꧒t don't leave your old job before you have a plan. That'll make you too stressed. 

Find People Like You 

You don't need to fit in with everyoneꦐ to be socially healthy. The right crowd may be what you need. You may be able to find the sense of belonging you need in that group. 

There are many support groups for ADHDers, autistic individuals, and LGBTQ+ members. You should also be able to find social groups for different people ofಞ color. Mental health support resources tailored to these𝔉 groups also exist. 

Maybe once you heal in these groups you can reach out to others who are different than you. If yoꦡu fail to make friends there again, the connections you make༺ should have your back.

Join a Club or Group 

Race, gender, and sexuality aren't the only thi🌜ngs people can have in common. People can also love t𝐆he same hobbies, movie genres, etc. You can usually find such groups of people meeting up at clubs. 

Look around! Sites like Meetup.com have a ton of clubs that are available in your local ar🐬ea. You may also find groups and clubs at your local library and/or community center. 

By having some꧑thing in common with other group members, you're bound to grow closer to them. You can then make friendships that could last﷽ a lifetime. 

Take a Class 

Taking a class can have many of the same benefits as joining a club or group. As long as it isn't private, you should be able to meet other people. An ⛄added beneꦐfit is that you can learn something new. 

Think about something that you've always wanted to do. This cou෴ld be learning to dance, a new language, or how to cook somethi꧙ng delicious. Then search for a group class that will teach you what you want to know. 

Your local community center will likely have some classes available. Looking a🍎t the advertisements on corkboards in your local store, restaurant, etc. can also help. People offering classes often advertise classes there. 

Volunteer 

Volunteering can help you feel connected to your local community. You can also get close to the people that you're volunteering with. Plus, feeling needed can ༒help you ease your loneliness. 

Try looking online for 168极速赛车官方入口:places that need volunteers. You can also contact different places in your area and ask if they need volunteers. Heck, even helping your elderly neighbor for💎 free counts as volunteerin🎐g. 

Find a Mentor 

Signing up for a 168极速赛车官方入口:mentorship program is another way that you can become more social. Plus, mentors can help you improve yourself in several ways. They can hꦓelp you grow your career, become resilient, and more. 

Consider looking around in your local area for men🐲torship programs. 

We Help Social Health Goals 

There are a lot of symptoms that worsen social health. Poor social health also worsens other symptoms. The best thing you can do is target a few of the symptoms and break the vicious cܫycle. 

Here at the Honor Society, we prioritize mental health. In doing so, we empower our members to reach their full potential. Join now by filling out the form 168极速赛车官方入口:on this page.