What the Global Survey is indicating

A survey conducted by the British Red Cross and the Co-operative found that nine million adults are plagued with a feeling of loneliness. And research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) who have been researching people’s well-being for nearly a decade showed that in the first month of Coronavirus, 7.6 million people said their mental health and wellbeing had been affected by loneliness.

Results

For many people, lockdown has changed the interaction with their usual support networks overnight. For some, this meant turning to their local community when they needed it, including befriending groups.

Solutions

The inevitable shift to online and telephone communication is no emotional replacement for face-to-face get-togethers but the power of listening can enrich the quality of the conversation and more importantly, make people feel more positive and less lonely.

World’s all leading practicing therapists have some compelling insights into how listening can help reduce loneliness and some practical tips about how to use listening as an effective tool. ‘We managed to help Mr. Reddy with some counselling and befriending. Talking to someone just once a week did make a difference to his life. Reflecting back and showing that you’d listened to and understood his stories, even over the phone, was really effective for him.’ People across global communities are learning to adapt to this new world because we can’t do the normal things we’re used to. Like friends having a chat over Zoom with a beer in hand instead of a conversation in the pub. Or workplaces holding thematic meetings to foster a sense of community and families maintaining connections over virtual platforms like WhatsApp, Zoom and FaceTime. It’s in everyone’s gift to make a difference to another human being by doing a few simple things when it comes to listening.

What we do as a “Listner”

Firstly, we get rid of all our distractions to have a deep and meaningful conversation. Find a quiet space, turn off our phone ( insists you too to do the same ) , and then we check in with ourselves first to practice mindfulness and relaxation to park personal stresses and have a clear mind to ensure we are fully present and focused on what the other person needs. Make an effort to listen actively to help strengthen your emotional understanding and empathy. Listening attentively shows that we are fully engaged in what the other person is saying and makes them feel valued and encouraged to open up. When we are listening to someone, we are not thinking about how to respond to what they are saying. Rather we do not anticipate the conversation or interrupt while the person is speaking. We try to gain on the emotional attachment and bonding and thus try to help them to come out with the solution which they thought and preffered the most. We provide a safe environment where like-minded people can talk to our listners and can shared their experiences. By allowing ourselves to be vulnerable we enable our users to go through that honest exchange of words, thoughts where the genuine connection occurs, and loneliness diminishes.