Living alone and depressed? You are not alone.

Chose to go it alone...please help.

This excellent Axios article called People who live alone are more depressed than those who don’t, survey suggests shows a growing trend for singles.

Why is this important? From the article

The share of single-person households keeps increasing — from 13.6% in 1962 to 28.9% in 2022, according to CDC data.

This means the trend is increasing, and will increase in the future. As marriages are reduced and divorces stay steady, people will continue to separate themselves from other relationships.

Chose to go it alone...please help.
Chose to go it alone…please help.

Now what does this survey suggest to be healthy? It says that having someone around who challenges you with their differences may increase the activity level and helpful behaviors. I once had a doctor tell me that relationships make the highs higher and the lows lower. Meaning that life is more intense when you have a relationship. I have found this to be true.

Remember how I shared that my grandmother took me and volunteered at the seniors center when I was a kid and she was a senior? She wanted to bring some activity into their lives. The seniors who were the most social were the most happy. The rest tried to exist and their lives were miserable. Even in a group setting like a seniors center, you can make yourself alone or social.

Now one way that you can reduce this of course is to get a pet. Pets are scientifically better for your health and well-being. Again for the same reason, I think it is because they challenge us to do things we may not want to do. When I had my dog they needed to go for a walk each day. I didn’t want to go for a walk each day, but I did that because it was so important for them. I was healthiest when I had a dog and with time I enjoyed going for a walk each day as well.

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It is true. The worst enemy we will ever have in our life is ourselves. We need to constantly challenge ourselves to be healthy and grow.