How to fight loneliness...

How have we gotton so far in medicine and health, but we have not yet found a way to treat loneliness? We can now grow human organs using stem cells, we have medications that help against depression and anxiety, and we have begun experimenting to give the vision back to those who are blind. However, there is no form of treatment for loneliness. Do people not know how serious it is or how difficult it is to find help against loneliness? Many of those who feel lonely are usually given the answer "Just go out and talk to people," which is not that simple, it's the same as telling a depressed person to stop being sad.

I think it is this belief that it is as easy to just go out and greet people who makes no one take loneliness seriously, or take steps that can help reduce this feeling. It is strange how we can facilitate for people in a wheelchair, those who have PST, anxiety, or those with autism, but there is no facilitation for those who find it difficult to get in touch with other people.

We like to think that there is an offer for this; like mountain tours, clubs or events, but in the end, it is the money and the income that matters. For example, I have looked at the offerings for mountain tours, but it cost 25 euros for each hike, since the costs were so high, I felt that this were not a place I could meet up regularly to get to know new people. In addition, there are conflicts of interest. Since I wish to meet new people, I have additional challenges to get closer to those who just want to climb the mountain.

Even if it is a gathering or an activity, it does not mean that everyone will eventually be introduced to each other. Those who have felt loneliness for a long time will probably need an extra push, and regular follow-up, and sometimes there may be too many people at once. Remember there is a reason why someone feel lonely, and sometimes it may be because it is already difficult to talk to other people. Is there no treatment for loneliness or is it that we still have too little insight into this in 2018?

Why is nobody experimenting with finding good solutions for this? For example, through the job, I received an offer to join an excursion, but the day before departure, the overwhelming thought that I would travel alone for several hours came to my mind. I ended up declining the offer, assuming that many people would bring their friends and colleagues. If you think by now that I should have just talked and introduced myself to those on the trip, you have not understood anything of what I have written so far. The trip arranged through the job was laid up so that you could have one escort, and afterwards I reflected on why it never is that you can join a "get known group" on such trips. For example, if you mark down that you would travel alone, there should be an opportunity to join groups with others who also travel alone. In this way, everyone has a common ground that nobody knows anyone and everyone wants to get to know each other. In my mind, this is a fantastic and simple solution that provides options for people like us, but if this is a simple solution, I wonder why it's not already been implemented everywhere. To fight loneliness we can start by doing small step, but will make a major difference.