Loneliness is a hidden, but widespread, issue

Loneliness has a way of making people feel that something is wrong with them. It creates the illusion that everyone else has a full diary and a humming group chat, and that a quiet evening on your own is proof you’ve fallen behind.

Loneliness Awareness Week, which runs from 15 to 21 June and marks its 10th anniversary this year, exists in good part to push back on this idea.

A 2025 survey carried out by Ipsos on behalf of the Marmalade Trust found that 82% of UK adults have personally experienced loneliness, and 61% of those have never told anyone they feel that way. In other words, most of us know what loneliness feels like. Most of us just don’t talk about it.

Loneliness is a normal human signal, a bit like hunger or tiredness. It’s telling you that something about your social interactions and connection with others isn’t quite meeting your needs. This isn’t a sign of a character flaw, many people are dealing with the same, and it isn’t something you have to fix on your own.

Why loneliness matters for our mental health

Short bouts of loneliness come and go. A quiet weekend, a period between jobs, the slow months after moving somewhere new. These pass, usually, once life shifts again.

What causes more trouble is loneliness that sets in and stays. When it becomes long-term, it is closely linked with anxiety, depression, disrupted sleep and lower self-esteem.

Loneliness can make it harder to focus during the day, harder to settle at night, and harder to feel good in your own company. Over time, it can start to colour the way you see other people too, making social situations feel challenging, more like a test than a pleasure. According to the report “The Psychology of Loneliness” by the Campaign to End Loneliness, loneliness both has an impact upon and is impacted by our mental health. It can even change how we perceive social "threats," making us more hesitant to reach out even when we want to.

Younger adults feel the impact of loneliness particularly sharply. According to the UK Parliament’s House of Commons Library, people aged 16 to 34 years old are over five times more likely to struggle with chronic loneliness than those aged over 65.Additionally, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy found that young people aged 16 to 25 years old were the most likely to say loneliness affects their mental health, more than any other age group. Such research goes against the old assumption that loneliness is mostly an older person’s experience.Leaving school, starting a new job, moving for university, living in shared housing with people who come and go, are all socially turbulent experiences young people go through, all of which often happen at a life stage when identity is still forming.

A few things that can help

There’s no single fix for loneliness. However, there are things you can do. What follows is a set of options you can try, not simply a checklist. Some will feel possible today, others might feel a long way off. That’s fine. Pick the one that feels most achievable.

Name the feeling

Loneliness often disguises itself. It shows up as low mood, irritability, a restlessness that doesn’t quite have a cause, or a sense that you can’t be bothered with anything. Simply naming it, in your own head or out loud to someone you trust, can take some of the heat out of it. You’re not broken, you’re lonely. Lots of people around you likely are too.

Try low-pressure social re-entry

If you find the idea of going to a party or organising a catch-up overwhelming, it probably isn’t the right first step. Social re-entry doesn’t have to be an intense affair. It can be something simple with a built-in structure. Social occasions with a built-in structure tend to work better. A weekly class, a walking group, a community choir, a running club, a regular volunteering slot, such activities are great for socialising as they enable social contact to happen around an activity, meaning that the pressure to perform or keep a conversation going is lower.

Volunteering specifically can help on two fronts. You meet people, and you spend time doing something that isn’t about you, which can quietly lift the mood in a way that scrolling through your phone can’t.

Be more intentional with technology

Your phone can help keep you connected. A voice note to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, a video call with family, a WhatsApp group that remembers your birthday. These are real connections, and they count.

However, your phone can also have a negative impact and make you feel disconnected. Passive scrolling often deepens loneliness. Watching a highlight reel of everyone else’s evening out, wedding, holiday or career win, while sitting on your own sofa, is a recipe for feeling worse. If you notice this pattern, it’s worth being honest with yourself about which apps leave you feeling connected and which leave you feeling hollow.

Spend time in green spaces

Getting outside, even for 20 minutes, can help improve your wellbeing. Walking in a park, sitting under a tree, noticing birds and weather and the way the light changes: these aren’t miracle cures, but they do quiet the mind. There’s a growing body of research, such as a 2025 report from Natural England, linking time in green space with lower stress and better mood, and you don’t need to live next to a forest to feel it.

A garden, a balcony or even a few well-chosen pots by the back door can become a small daily anchor. How you arrange that space makes a real difference to how restful it feels: soft planting, somewhere comfortable to sit, fragrance from herbs or lavender. For more practical ideas on this, the team at We Love Plants has shared a thoughtful guide on how garden design can support wellbeing, which is a great resource if you’re looking to make your own outdoor space feel more like a place to breathe.

When to reach out for more support

If loneliness is starting to affect your sleep, your appetite or your work or your ability to enjoy things, it’s worth talking to someone. Contacting your GP is a good place to start.

Mental health charities are also great places to contact for support. West Sussex Mind has a dedicated Help Point, peer support and practical information for anyone who wants to talk things through. Learn how to get support with West Sussex Mind here.

You can find more ideas, support options and gentle guidance on our dealing with loneliness page. Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not the only one feeling it, and you don’t have to work it out on your own.