Alone vs lonely (isolation)

There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely. Many people spend time away from other people through choice, whereas loneliness often relates to a lack of support and acceptance within a social context. Removal of social support is almost always to the detriment of our mental and physical health.

I personally relish my alone time, away from the chaos that life entails. For me there is nothing more precious than time with my wife, just her and I in our own little world. But I am a social animal and enjoy the company of friends and co-workers. But thro all this I know one thing, I have support. I have people that will see me thro the rough spots in life.

The degree of loneliness relates to the breadth and depth of our social relation-ships. To what extent do our social networks support and accept us? We are advised to seek and cultivate relationships that make us feel good about ourselves – especially relevant in the age of online social networking.

That is not to say I haven't experienced loneliness, I think we all have. In some regards it is those periods of loneliness and in some cases isolation, I find we grow the most. It is when the loneliness and isolation become the norm that problems can arise. That is where I feel, based on my own experience, that social networking can be a good thing.

IMHO this also means outside of the family. You need support from those around you that do not have anything to gain/lose by your success or failure. I like to surround myself with strong positive people. I like people who have personalities that take up a room, the bolder the better. I find that my friends with this type of personality won't allow me to isolate.

[I don't know how to explain my experience without being long winded and boring to boot, all I can say is that without social networking in varying degrees I would be hard-pressed to think I would be here typing this post. Also due to where I live, finding individuals with the same interests is difficult. As much as I hate saying this, the community I live in leans towards closed-mindedness, with little acceptance of non-linear thinking.]

There is some evidence to suggest that being part of a social network is more advantageous than one-off instances of support, and that help from a friend is better than that provided by a stranger.

I'm not so sure about that last part. When I was returning to PA last April [after a disastrous year that landed me in the hospital, and 16 stitches in arm after a suicide attempt] I ran into a gentleman at the KC bus terminal who stopped to talk to me. This man did not know me or my circumstances, all he said was "I will pray for you," and walked away. The funny thing, At the moment I was contemplating finishing what I had started. SO I don't disregard strangers.

Can loneliness really damage your health? - Science, News - The Independent