Community support

Let’s Beat Loneliness Together

Loneliness can affect anyone at any point in their lives and can have an impact on our health, wellbeing, productivity and self-esteem. In Staffordshire, there has been an increase in people reporting feeling concerned about not seeing wider family and friends and the effects of loneliness and isolation.

Although the issue of loneliness has certainly been highlighted over the past year, it will continue to be an issue for many beyond the restrictions.

If you or someone you know is feeling lonely, there are some small steps you can take to help beat loneliness.

Beating loneliness

Tip #1: Just acknowledging that fact to your friends, family, GP or health professional can start to take the weight off the feeling. This could be face-to-face, a call, text, email or letter – however you feel most comfortable communicating.

Tip #2: Becoming a volunteer can provide so many opportunities – you’ll learn new skills, meet new people, build your confidence and self-esteem and ultimately be helping those in need. Search for opportunities on the Do It Staffordshire website.

Tip #3: Try connecting with someone you haven’t spoken to for a while or someone you’ve lost touch with. A phone call, FaceTime or letter can really help to brighten your day. It might then become a more regular catch up and something to look forward to.

Tip #4: There are lots of positive online communities, where you can make new friends, get inspired and chat about things you care about. You could try searching for groups involved in causes, music, games, hobbies or TV shows you are passionate about.

Tip #5: Online courses can be a great way to meet people, learn new skills and develop interests – all in the comfort of your own home. Staffordshire Community Learning offers a wide range of courses to suit everyone – from arts and crafts, languages and creative writing to belly dancing and computing. Find out more about Staffordshire Community Learning.

For more tips you can visit the Doing Our Bit website.

Organisations in your local area

Across Staffordshire there are many organisations that offer services to help you to deal with loneliness from telephone befriending, interest and hobby groups, online social events, online courses and much more. You can visit the Staffordshire Connects website to search for an organisation that’s right for you or take a look at the Doing Our Bit website for some organisations that we have handpicked for you.

Other resources

• What is loneliness?
• What impact does loneliness have?
• How can I help somebody that is lonely?
• House of Bread. The Breadline telephone service connects you to a friendly volunteer for a chat. They can also support with connecting you with other services and programmes that can help you to beat loneliness.