{"id":6784,"date":"2020-06-24T17:37:43","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T13:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krisp.ai\/blog\/?p=6784"},"modified":"2024-07-04T12:52:44","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T08:52:44","slug":"lonely-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krisp.ai\/blog\/lonely-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Lonely at Work? How to Combat Work From Home Loneliness"},"content":{"rendered":"

For creatures as social as human beings, there\u2019s nothing quite as torturous as being <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> feeling alone. When you work from home, you\u2019re already deprived of the friendly banter and chance encounters that happen in an office. When you <\/span>work from home during a pandemic<\/span><\/a>, you have the added burden of not being able to socialize in the same way that you would under normal circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what can you do when you feel lonely at work and your workplace is your own home? First, take heart: Loneliness is common, even for people who live with family or roommates. According to <\/span>Cigna\u2019s 2020 Loneliness and the Workplace<\/span><\/a> report, three in five American adults are lonely. Second, read on to take a closer look at loneliness: what it means, what science says about it, and how you can overcome it.<\/span><\/p>\n

But First, What <\/span>Is<\/span><\/i> Loneliness?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that lonely means \u201cbeing without company\u201d or \u201csad from being alone,\u201d we all know that one can be surrounded by people and feel sad just as easily as one can be alone and feel content.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Relationship coach Kira Asatryan offers a richer definition in her book <\/span>Stop Being Lonely<\/span><\/i><\/a>:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Loneliness is essentially sadness caused by a lack of closeness<\/b>, also known as sadness caused by distance. This is why it doesn\u2019t work to simply surround yourself with people. You must actually <\/span>feel close<\/span><\/i> to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"lonely<\/p>\n

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy sees loneliness as a public health concern. His definition, as told to <\/span>NBA.com<\/span><\/a>, is as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLoneliness is different than isolation and solitude. <\/span>Loneliness is a subjective feeling where the connections we need are greater than the connections we have<\/b>. \u2026 You can be surrounded by many people but still feel quite lonely if you don\u2019t have strong connections and if you feel you can\u2019t be yourself with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So before delving into the rest of this article, I\u2019d like you to <\/span>divorce the definition of loneliness from the idea of being physically alone<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How Does Being Lonely at Work Affect You?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Workplace Loneliness Hurts Job Performance<\/span><\/h3>\n

One <\/span>study on nurses<\/span><\/a> in a public hospital in Turkey found that the more lonely they were at work, the lower their job performance.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Another study<\/span><\/a> found that higher workplace loneliness corresponded to lower job performance for two reasons: lonely employees are less approachable and less committed to their organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling Lonely Decreases Job and Life Satisfaction<\/span><\/p>\n

One <\/span>study of elementary school teachers<\/span><\/a> in Turkey found that a lack of social friendships at work decreased job satisfaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A <\/span>study in Iran<\/span><\/a> confirmed previous research that lonely people have lower levels of life satisfaction. Further, it found that emotional loneliness (a lack of close relationships) is more painful than social loneliness (a lack of social friendships).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loneliness Is Bad for Your Health<\/span><\/h3>\n

A <\/span>meta-analysis of 148 studies<\/span><\/a> found that a lack of social relationships influences the risk of death as much as smoking and alcohol consumption\u2014and <\/span>exceeds<\/span><\/i> that of physical inactivity and obesity. In fact, researchers found that those with stronger social relationships are 50% more likely to survive than those with weaker social relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n

Remote Workers Are Especially Prone to Isolation and Loneliness<\/span><\/h3>\n

Compared to office workers, <\/span>remote workers<\/span><\/a> are more likely to report a lack of companionship and feeling isolated from others, according to Cigna’s 2020 Loneliness and the Workplace report.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And <\/span>Buffer\u2019s 2020 State of Remote Work<\/span><\/a> report found that loneliness once again showed up as one of the top three struggles for remote workers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"lonely<\/p>\n

7 Ways to Combat Work From Home Loneliness<\/span><\/h2>\n

Given the negative effects of workplace loneliness and its disproportionate impact on remote workers, is there anything you can do to feel connected again? Thankfully, yes!<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Lay Off the Social Media<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Cigna report found that the more you use social media, the more lonely you\u2019ll probably be. For example, light social media users had an average loneliness score of 43.3, while moderate users had an average score of 44.7. The most lonely of all, though, were the very heavy social media users, clocking in at 47.3.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"loneliness<\/p>\n

Social media is tricky because it lends the <\/span>illusion <\/span><\/i>of closeness without the <\/span>reality<\/span><\/i> of it. You can \u201clike\u201d and comment on Facebook photos of your friend\u2019s baby shower, but you\u2019ll still be painfully aware that you\u2019re not experiencing the moment with them and that those photos weren\u2019t intentionally shared with you, but to their hundreds of \u201cfriends\u201d on Facebook.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, when you\u2019re feeling lonely, instead of watching Instagram stories of your friends at birthday parties and pool hangouts you weren\u2019t invited to, text one of them and ask if they\u2019d like to do a video chat, or go for a walk outside and say hello to a neighbor.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Join a Coworking Space<\/span><\/h3>\n

During the coronavirus pandemic, some remote workers are even doing virtual coworking sessions, where they all join a Zoom meeting, have a short chat, and get to work. Sometimes just knowing others can see you and that you\u2019re all working at the same time (even if not in the same place) can stave off loneliness.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Find Your Community Online<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sometimes we feel lonely because we don\u2019t feel like we belong to a group that shares our values or interests. Thankfully, in this day and age, there\u2019s an <\/span>online community<\/span><\/a> for nearly every interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some places where you can begin your search:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n