As we enter week four of our discussion of loneliness, I want to offer a reflection and a prescription to combat loneliness. As Vivek Murthy, MD, our previous US Surgeon General points out, loneliness has become an epidemic. Please check out his parting prescription! 

Here are two things you can do right now to address loneliness:

• Take a break from social media. It’s really quite simple. Study after study after study shows that social media increases feelings of depression and anxiety. Read just one chapter of Jonathan Haidt’s book, and you’ll understand why. Girls are sucked into comparison at an impressionable age. Boys turn to video games for an outlet and an adrenaline rush. We now know that social media doesn’t simply correlate with increased feelings of loneliness and poorer self-esteem, it’s causal. There are studies that show that taking a break from social media can be just as effective as taking an antidepressant! 
  
  If you can’t take a break entirely, I highly recommend digesting social media with boundaries. Limit your time. Set reminders. And match your time on social media with walks outside or cuddling up with a book to balance what your brain and body crave.  

• Connect with someone IRL (In real life). In any way. Coffee, a walk, going to a concert, or joining a small group. If you don’t know who your people are, then look for an activity that interests you and start there. You’ll find your people. There’s a niche out there for everyone. Connection is imperative to your health.  

That’s it, friend. Simple and sweet. Let me know what you think of Dr. Murthy’s parting prescription. Or, if you’ve read Jonathan’s book, tell me your thoughts.