Loneliness.

Christmas is hard for some people.  Some people are very lonely at this time of year—if they have lost loved ones, or had chaotic or harsh, sometimes devastating experiences during this holiday.

With so much emphasis on the trappings of Christmas, these same people sometimes even totally dislike Christmas, and it seems most of it stems from deep sadness brought on by loneliness.

Loneliness can be brutal.  It goes beyond boredom, or sadness, or any other surface-level emotions.  It hits deep, and is hard to change.  It’s hard stuff.

People may begin hobbies to counteract it, or activities, skiing, walking, painting, learning to play a musical instrument.

I wonder how it would be if we made a decision to curb it, or counteract it, every chance we could find.  What if each of us made a decision to say a simple “Hi” to each person we meet. 

The world we live in right now for the most part doesn’t have a reputation with most people in general, of a very friendly place.  Most people don’t interact with anyone around them.  Most of us live in our own bubble—not realizing that the person we meet may be struggling in their bubble. 

Lulea, Sweden, has taken on that project, in an attempt to counter loneliness.  It’s just a slight change.  But people love being spoken to…recognized…seen!

They discovered that research has found that among 16- to 29-year olds, 45% of the people in the town were experiencing problems as a result of loneliness.  That’s nearly half.

I have no idea what percentage of people in our country are lonely, but I do know that the medical community advises us that it is epidemic.

What if we decided individually, to take it upon ourselves to help remedy it.  Just by greeting people with a smile and a word—recognizing that they are “there”.  It could change their moment.  It could change their day.  That’s a beginning.

And if we show care for people, it gives us a good feeling and helps us to be encouraged.

Dr. Mark Hyman says loneliness is one of the biggest factors of risk for premature death; that being lonely and socially isolated is equivalent, health wise, to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

Biological aging is the result of all of our lifestyle (eating, quality sleep, stress management and exercise) habits and stressors, and this includes psychological and relational stressors, lack of connection, lack of physical touch and intimacy, and reading to be understood, and “seen”.

It seems our social relationships and social networks may be more important than genetics and lifestyle to our health, according to Dr. Hyman.  It has so much to do with not only our physical ailments, but mental issues, and also with our longevity.

It is biological; relationships drive changes in our body and mind that can be measured.  If the experiences are good, our body actually turns on genes for healing and repair, per Dr. Hyman.

Let’s show extra love and kindness during this season, helping others to enjoy the season by our care.

If it is you who are lonely and sad during this season, remember that Christmas is really a celebration of the birth of the Christ child who God sent to earth from Heaven, so that He could show us the way to Heaven, by us believing He is the Son of God and asking Him to forgive us of our sins. 

He was crucified, and died, and rose from the grave.  He made the way back to Heaven, so we can go there too.  He is alive today, and lives in our hearts as we accept Him.

If you are sad and lonely, maybe you could try something new to do that you’ve never done before; make some cookies for a youth group, or something that helps someone who would love it. Your true hope is in God’s Grace, and it’s a process…it does take time.

This season is worth celebrating.

Love is the answer. 

It gives us a chance to help people feel loved.  And that will help us feel love, ourselves.

Let’s multiply Love during this time.  It will come back to us.

Thank you for reading!  If I can help you in any way, please contact me.