Ensamhet

💡 Ensam i en värld full av människor – En bok om ensamhet, gemenskap och att hitta hem hos sig själv Du kan ha människor runt dig hela tiden – och ändå känna dig ensam. Och vet du vad? Du är långt ifrån ensam om den känslan. I Sverige uppger över en miljon människor att de besväras av ensamhet, och bland unga män säger mer än var fjärde att de inte har någon att prata med om det som känns på riktigt. Ensamhet är inte ett undantag – det är en tyst gemensam erfarenhet. "Ensam i en värld full av människor" är boken som bryter tystnaden. Med verkliga berättelser, psykologisk insikt och konkreta steg mot gemenskap hjälper den dig att förstå, acceptera och förändra din ensamhet – på ditt sätt. 🌿Den här boken är för dig som: Känner dig ensam, trots att du har människor omkring dig. Har tappat kontakten med vänner – eller aldrig riktigt hittat din plats. Vill förstå varför ensamhet gör ont, och hur man kan hitta vägar ut. 💡I boken möter du människor som vågat sätta ord på det tystaste vi bär på: Emelie, som var den glada på jobbet – men grät varje kväll hemma. William, som varje midsommar scrollade genom andras fester – och undrade varför ingen bjöd. Amanda, som hade tusen likes men noll riktiga samtal – tills hon började söka kontakt på riktigt. Du får mer än igenkänning – du får vägar vidare: ✔️ Perspektiv på olika sorters ensamhet – från den existentiella till den sociala. ✔️ Övningar och reflektionsfrågor för att förstå dig själv bättre. ✔️ Praktiska tips för att skapa kontakt, bygga vänskap och trivas i ditt eget sällskap. 🎁 Passar perfekt för: Den som längtar efter äkta gemenskap – men inte vet var man ska börja. Dig som vill förstå dig själv bättre och hitta trygghet i ditt eget sällskap. Du som är trött på att känna dig ensam – och redo att ta små steg mot förändring. ✨ Det är inget fel på dig – ensamhet är inte ett misslyckande. Det är en mänsklig erfarenhet. Och du är inte den enda som känner så här – men du kan bli den som vågar göra något åt det.

En bok som på ett kort och lättsamt sätt behandlar frågor om ensamhet, framförallt den ofrivilliga. Syftet är att väcka tankar, ge kunskap och locka till samtal. Vad kan man själv göra för att motverka ensamhet? Vilka grupper riskerar särskilt att bli ensamma? Hur känns ensamhet och hur påverkar den oss? Långt fler än man tror är ensamma och det förekommer i alla åldrar från barn till seniorer. Relationer är svårt, för man behöver själv skapa och vårda dem. Ensamheten kan vändas och bli till samhörighet! Det finns hopp och mycket man kan göra.

THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘Bravely revealing’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO‘Funny, moving, helpful and true, Friendaholic deserves a massive audience’ SATHNAM SANGHERA‘This book is brilliant’ JO ELVIN‘Essential reading… admirably candid and well-crafted’ GUARDIAN As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren't they just as – if not more – important? So why is it hard to find the right words to express what these uniquely complex bonds mean to us? In Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict, Elizabeth Day embarks on a journey to answer these questions. Growing up, Elizabeth wanted to make everyone like her. Lacking friends at school, she grew up to believe that quantity equalled quality. Having lots of friends meant you were loved, popular and safe. She was determined to become a Good Friend. And, in many ways, she did. But in adulthood she slowly realised that it was often to the detriment of her own boundaries and mental health.Then, when a global pandemic hit in 2020, she was one of many who were forced to reassess what friendship really meant to them – with the crisis came a dawning realisation: her truest friends were not always the ones she had been spending most time with. Why was this? Could she rebalance it? Was there such thing as…too many friends? And was she really the friend she thought she was?Friendaholic unpacks the significance and evolution of friendship. From exploring her own personal friendships and the distinct importance of each of them in her life, to the unique and powerful insights of others across the globe, Elizabeth asks why there isn’t yet a language that can express its crucial influence on our world.From ghosting and frenemies to social media and seismic life events, Elizabeth leaves no stone unturned. Friendaholic is the book you buy for the people you love but it's also the book you read to become a better friend to yourself.

THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘Bravely revealing’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO‘Funny, moving, helpful and true, Friendaholic deserves a massive audience’ SATHNAM SANGHERA‘This book is brilliant’ JO ELVIN‘Essential reading… admirably candid and well-crafted’ GUARDIAN As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren't they just as – if not more – important? So why is it hard to find the right words to express what these uniquely complex bonds mean to us? In Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict, Elizabeth Day embarks on a journey to answer these questions. Growing up, Elizabeth wanted to make everyone like her. Lacking friends at school, she grew up to believe that quantity equalled quality. Having lots of friends meant you were loved, popular and safe. She was determined to become a Good Friend. And, in many ways, she did. But in adulthood she slowly realised that it was often to the detriment of her own boundaries and mental health.Then, when a global pandemic hit in 2020, she was one of many who were forced to reassess what friendship really meant to them – with the crisis came a dawning realisation: her truest friends were not always the ones she had been spending most time with. Why was this? Could she rebalance it? Was there such thing as…too many friends? And was she really the friend she thought she was?Friendaholic unpacks the significance and evolution of friendship. From exploring her own personal friendships and the distinct importance of each of them in her life, to the unique and powerful insights of others across the globe, Elizabeth asks why there isn’t yet a language that can express its crucial influence on our world.From ghosting and frenemies to social media and seismic life events, Elizabeth leaves no stone unturned. Friendaholic is the book you buy for the people you love but it's also the book you read to become a better friend to yourself.

THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, NOW WITH AN EXTRA CHAPTER! ‘Essential reading’ Guardian 'A joyful read' Sunday Times 'Disarmingly honest' Daily Mirror ‘Bravely revealing’ Bernardine Evaristo 'Filled with relatable insights' Daily Mail ‘Funny, moving, helpful and true’ Sathnam Sanghera 'A generous guide to a part of life every bit as crucial as romance' Observer As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren't they just as – if not more – important? So why is it hard to find the right words to express what these uniquely complex bonds mean to us?In this fascinating, insightful and uniquely moving book, Elizabeth Day embarks on a journey to find out. Friendaholic unpacks the significance and evolution of friendship from the ancient wisdom of Cicero to the modern curse of ghosting. How and why do we make friends? Is friendship an antidote to loneliness? How should we deal with a frenemy? And is it ok to end a friendship that has gone awry?Friendaholic examines what makes a ‘good’ friend and asks us what kind of friend we want to be – to each other but also to ourselves.

‘The most life-affirming book ever written about death.’ Sandi Toksvig‘One of the most powerful and helpful books about grief that you will ever read.’ Anita Anand ‘Grief is more than the price of love. It is love. We must learn not just to live with it, but to make it welcome.’ Catherine Mayer and her mother Anne Mayer Bird were widowed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is their story of supporting each other through whirling grief, ‘sadmin’ and the darkest of times, as they learn to embrace life again.Now updated with brand new chapters, Good Grief is an essential companion for loss and a testimony to enduring love. Spiked with wry humour, it is an uplifting, moving and unexpectedly joyous read.‘Smart, upbeat and brimming with fortitude’ Observer‘One of the saddest things I've ever read but also the most powerful. It's made me want to cling tight to the people I love while acknowledging their mortality and mine too.’ Marian Keyes

You can’t move past the breakup. You feel stuck in cycles of rumination and pain. This helpful guide provides brand-new therapeutic tools to revolutionise the way we overcome loss, and seek and welcome love, within and outside of ourselves. We know heartbreaks are inevitable. We also know that somehow it is within our power to break free of the suffering and transform pain into meaning. Yet, somewhere between the sad songs, the late-night fixations, and the social media stalking, we get lost.Alice Haddon, psychologist of over twenty-five years, and Ruth Field, bestselling self-help author, show us how we can dissect heartbreaks, mine them for strength and live our most empowered life. They also examine how society sets up women to fall into love traps and engage bad habits of self-sacrificing and enabling. With Alice and Ruth’s help, those patterns end forever.Bursting with compassion, humour and courage, this book will take you into the actual exercises conducted at the retreat that they run. It will teach you how to: face your deepest hurt without shame or judgment ask for help and lean on the collective be kind and forgiving to yourself turn your heartbreak into love and pride Providing you with a clear pathway to recovery, Alice and Ruth draw on their wealth of professional and personal experience to help you.

You can’t move past the breakup. You feel stuck in cycles of rumination and pain. This helpful guide provides brand-new therapeutic tools to revolutionise the way we overcome loss, and seek and welcome love, within and outside of ourselves. We know heartbreaks are inevitable. We also know that somehow it is within our power to break free of the suffering and transform pain into meaning. Yet, somewhere between the sad songs, the late-night fixations, and the social media stalking, we get lost.Alice Haddon, psychologist of over twenty-five years, and Ruth Field, bestselling self-help author, show us how we can dissect heartbreaks, mine them for strength and live our most empowered life. They also examine how society sets up women to fall into love traps and engage bad habits of self-sacrificing and enabling. With Alice and Ruth’s help, those patterns end forever.Bursting with compassion, humour and courage, this book will take you into the actual exercises conducted at the retreat that they run. It will teach you how to: face your deepest hurt without shame or judgment ask for help and lean on the collective be kind and forgiving to yourself turn your heartbreak into love and prideProviding you with a clear pathway to recovery, Alice and Ruth draw on their wealth of professional and personal experience to help you.

You can’t move past the breakup. You feel stuck in cycles of rumination and pain.This helpful guide provides brand-new therapeutic tools to revolutionise the way we overcome loss, and seek and welcome love, within and outside of ourselves.We know heartbreaks are inevitable. We also know that somehow it is within our power to break free of the suffering and transform pain into meaning. Yet, somewhere between the sad songs, the late-night fixations, and the social media stalking, we get lost.Alice Haddon, psychologist of over twenty-five years, and Ruth Field, bestselling self-help author, show us how we can dissect heartbreaks, mine them for strength and live our most empowered life. They also examine how society sets up women to fall into love traps and engage bad habits of self-sacrificing and enabling. With Alice and Ruth’s help, those patterns end forever.Bursting with compassion, humour and courage, this book will take you into the actual exercises conducted at the retreat that they run. It will teach you how to: face your deepest hurt without shame or judgment ask for help and lean on the collective be kind and forgiving to yourself turn your heartbreak into love and prideProviding you with a clear pathway to recovery, Alice and Ruth draw on their wealth of professional and personal experience to help you.

Coleen Nolan – singer, TV host and agony aunt is known for her warmth, straight-talking and compassion. But her empathy and warmth have been earned the hard way – formed by her own deeply-felt experiences of loss and grief.Inspired by her own life, and her podcast on grief, Coleen takes readers on a heartfelt and helpful journey through how to cope with all kinds of grief, drawing not just on her own thoughts and feelings, but on those of friends and celebrities she’s interviewed, who share their personal takes on loss and life after it. By turns moving, courageous and inspiring, each chapter also features a poem to make you smile, think or shed a tear.Written with accessibility, heart and fellow-feeling, this is not a guidebook but a companion, a friendly word in the darkest times, packed with advice, understanding and hope – a book to say you’re not alone.

Coleen Nolan – singer, TV host and agony aunt is known for her warmth, straight-talking and compassion. But her empathy and warmth have been earned the hard way – formed by her own deeply-felt experiences of loss and grief.Inspired by her own life, and her podcast on grief, Coleen takes readers on a heartfelt and helpful journey through how to cope with all kinds of grief, drawing not just on her own thoughts and feelings, but on those of friends and celebrities she’s interviewed, who share their personal takes on loss and life after it. By turns moving, courageous and inspiring, each chapter also features a poem to make you smile, think or shed a tear.Written with accessibility, heart and fellow-feeling, this is not a guidebook but a companion, a friendly word in the darkest times, packed with advice, understanding and hope – a book to say you’re not alone.

Read the latest book from Dr Lucy Pollock, a wise, compassionate and helpful guide to ageing happily'The Golden Rule is part manifesto for better integration and appreciation between generations, and part reflection on a career spent looking after our elders, [. . .] with good humour, sanity, wisdom and quite a few jokes' The Times'From the first pages, the impression you have is how much you’d want Pollock as your medical practitioner. . . this warm and compassionate book is part reflection, part rallying cry to set in place a better society for older people' Daily Mail'Beautiful and wise, filled with characters I know living through situations I recognise, filtered through the kindness of thoughtful storytelling' Kathryn Mannix, author of With the End in Mind__________In a society obsessed with staying young, how can we age with confidence?Today, we are living longer lives, and have choices now as never before about how we will age.What will make us happy?What are we frightened of, and what might allay those fears?What changes, made right now, will help us to flourish as we age?This book contains lessons Lucy Pollock has learned from thirty years of working with older people and those close to them. It looks at problems that can be fixed with tests and tablets, and problems that require a different sort of medicine. Lucy explains what she has been taught about loss, about impossible families, about becoming older without children, and the important things she has learned about sexuality, race, love and living with uncertainty.The Golden Rule sets out guiding principles we can all try to live by, in the hope that together we can bring about positive change, and all benefit from a kinder, more compassionate society.Here is how we may meet our futures with optimism and confidence.

Improve your social relationships and overall well-being with The Loneliness Problem guided workbook.The current epidemic of loneliness and social isolation is having detrimental effects on our mental, physical, and emotional health. The Loneliness Problem addresses these issues and provides tangible techniques and guidance on how to alleviate your social disconnection, loneliness, and low self-esteem.With this accessible workbook, you’ll explore different types of loneliness and learn about what may be holding you back from making important connections. Dig deeper in your current relationships and learn about the structure and function that each one of your social connections brings to your life.The Loneliness Problem features:  Over 100 thought-provoking writing promptsPsychology-based techniques and exercisesA loneliness quiz to assess how lonely you really areInspirational quotesSample prompts include:  Is anxiety preventing you from connecting?Do you often have conflicts in your relationships?Where do you need more support right now, and whom could you ask to provide it?Learn how to expand your social network, deepen your relationships, and live a more fulfilling life with this insightful workbook.With so much of our lives and contact going digital, the Guided Workbooks offer an intimate way to nurture your connection with yourself and the people around you. An entertaining way to get off your screen, the pages in these guided prompt books are great for writers and first-timers alike. Each workbook offers content around a different, compelling theme, filled with thoughtful questions, inspiration for composition, and interactive prompts to learn about yourself and the world around you. Beautifully designed on high-quality paper stock and full of mindful prompts, channel your inspiration as you put pen to paper to learn more about what inspires you.Other books in the series include: 52 Weeks to Better Mental Health, Finding Your Authentic Self, and Overcome Your Anxiety

Improve your social relationships and sense of connection with the lighthearted Don’t Die Alone guided workbook.The current epidemic of loneliness and social isolation is having detrimental effects on our mental, physical, and emotional health. Don’t Die Alone addresses these issues in an easygoing way, providing tangible techniques and guidance on how to alleviate your social disconnection, loneliness, and low self-esteem.With this accessible workbook, you’ll explore different types of loneliness and learn about what may be holding you back from making important connections. Dig deeper into your current relationships and learn about the structure and function that each one of your social connections brings to your life.Inside, you’ll find:Over 100 thought-provoking writing promptsPsychology-based techniques and exercisesA loneliness quiz to assess how lonely you really areLearn how to expand your social network, deepen your relationships, and live a more fulfilling life with this insightful workbook.

The average adult spends nearly one-third of their waking life alone. How do we overcome the stigma of solitude and find strength in going it alone? Whether we love it or try to avoid it, we can make better use of that time. The science of solitude shows that alone time can be a powerful space used to tap into countless benefits. Translating key research findings into actionable facts and advice, this book shows that alone time can boost well-being. From relaxation and recharging to problem solving and emotion regulation, solitude can benefit personal growth, contentment, creativity, and our relationships with ourselves and others. Learning what makes us better at spending time alone can help us move toward our best possible selves.

The average adult spends nearly one-third of their waking life alone. How do we overcome the stigma of solitude and find strength in going it alone? Whether we love it or try to avoid it, we can make better use of that time. The science of solitude shows that alone time can be a powerful space used to tap into countless benefits. Translating key research findings into actionable facts and advice, this book shows that alone time can boost well-being. From relaxation and recharging to problem solving and emotion regulation, solitude can benefit personal growth, contentment, creativity, and our relationships with ourselves and others. Learning what makes us better at spending time alone can help us move toward our best possible selves.

Need a rental person who does nothing?Shoji Morimoto provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. After an old boss told him that he contributed nothing and that it made no difference whether he showed up to work or not, he wondered if a person who ‘does nothing’ could still have a place in the world. With a tweet, his Rental Person service was born.- Have a deep secret you desperately need to reveal, so deep that you can’t tell a friend or family member?- Have you spent a long time home alone, and want to know what it’s like to have somebody with you at your apartment?- Or for someone to simply think of you on a stressful day? Or wave to you as you leave the train station on a long journey?Morimoto is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger throughout each request, and his encounters are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.

Today, I’m starting a ‘rent a person who does nothing‘ service . . . Except for very simple conversation, I’m afraid I can do nothing.Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a ‘do-nothing’ because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out . . . to do nothing.Morimoto, aka Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. Sitting with a client undergoing surgery, accompanying a newly-divorced client to her favourite restaurant, visiting the site of a client’s suicide attempt are just a few of his thousands of true life adventures. He is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger and the curious encounters he shares are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.

The true life adventures of Shoji Morimoto, who launched a business in which he rents himself out to do nothing in Japan.'Distinctively Japanese musings on meaning and connection' – ObserverNeed a rental person who does nothing? Shoji Morimoto provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. After an old boss told him that he contributed nothing and that it made no difference whether he showed up to work or not, he wondered if a person who ‘does nothing’ could still have a place in the world. With a tweet, his Rental Person service was born.- Have a deep secret you desperately need to reveal, so deep that you can’t tell a friend or family member?- Have you spent a long time home alone, and want to know what it’s like to have somebody with you at your apartment?- Or for someone to simply think of you on a stressful day? Or wave to you as you leave the train station on a long journey?Morimoto is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger throughout each request, and his encounters are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.In Rental Person Who Does Nothing, Morimoto chronicles his extraordinary experiences in his unique line of work and reflects on how we consider relationships, jobs and family in our search for meaningful connection and purpose in life.

This book explores adolescents’ (10-18 years) experiences of silence, solitude, loneliness within the school setting. Although many studies explore social withdrawal and loneliness in adolescence, little is known about young people’s experiences of solitude as a state of being alone. This book ties together cutting-edge research from developmental psychology and education on solitude in adolescence, and opens the way to a pedagogy of solitude and well-being.Sandra Leanne Bosacki explores concerns about how adolescents learn social and solitude skills and the extent to which such skills are harmful or helpful, including self-control and regulation, and self-compassion. The book further explores implications of solitude studies for practice and provides recommendations for future research and education. Holistic models of education are encouraged to promote a balance of social and solitude skills that combines social management with self-regulation and self-compassion.

This book explores adolescents’ (10-18 years) experiences of silence, solitude, loneliness within the school setting. Although many studies explore social withdrawal and loneliness in adolescence, little is known about young people’s experiences of solitude as a state of being alone. This book ties together cutting-edge research from developmental psychology and education on solitude in adolescence, and opens the way to a pedagogy of solitude and well-being.Sandra Leanne Bosacki explores concerns about how adolescents learn social and solitude skills and the extent to which such skills are harmful or helpful, including self-control and regulation, and self-compassion. The book further explores implications of solitude studies for practice and provides recommendations for future research and education. Holistic models of education are encouraged to promote a balance of social and solitude skills that combines social management with self-regulation and self-compassion.

This book presents a thematic analysis of various aspects of solitude, silence and loneliness, from the ancient world to the present day, explored thematically with consideration to the links between aloneness to other social and political issues. The themes include exile (expulsion from a community), ecstasy (getting ‘out of oneself’) and enstasy (being comfortable within oneself), to the Romantic idea of the artist as solitary. There is work on aloneness in and through nature, especially the importance of natural settings for positive experiences of solitude. A central theme is alienation and its emotions, with the idea of loneliness and the rejected self being a more modern experience. The book explores modernism and postmodernism as presenting new forms of solitude in the twentieth century, and how, more recently, there have been attempts to ‘recover’ the self, through therapeutic uses of the arts. All of these types and experiences of aloneness are described through the lenses of artistic, literary and musical forms of expression, as aloneness is not only explored and articulated through these art forms, but is in many ways created through these art forms.

This book presents a thematic analysis of various aspects of solitude, silence and loneliness, from the ancient world to the present day, explored thematically with consideration to the links between aloneness to other social and political issues. The themes include exile (expulsion from a community), ecstasy (getting ‘out of oneself’) and enstasy (being comfortable within oneself), to the Romantic idea of the artist as solitary. There is work on aloneness in and through nature, especially the importance of natural settings for positive experiences of solitude. A central theme is alienation and its emotions, with the idea of loneliness and the rejected self being a more modern experience. The book explores modernism and postmodernism as presenting new forms of solitude in the twentieth century, and how, more recently, there have been attempts to ‘recover’ the self, through therapeutic uses of the arts. All of these types and experiences of aloneness are described through the lenses of artistic, literary and musical forms of expression, as aloneness is not only explored and articulated through these art forms, but is in many ways created through these art forms.

This open access volume is an interdisciplinary anthology on loneliness that brings together for the first time a variety of disciplines to provide a comprehensive overview of research into a defining condition of our age.Loneliness is currently a widely debated topic in intellectual and public discourse that is occasionally, though controversially, seen to be an important public health hazard and that is often, and also controversially, said to be a marker of our digital and post-pandemic age. The volume brings together the contributions from leading researchers in philosophy, literature, psychology, cognitive science, history, anthropology, health science and business studies. Despite the wide scope of topics and differences in methodology, the contributors all investigate, in various forms, conceptual and empirical questions as they arise in the attempt to understand what loneliness is and whether we should think of it as the signifier of our time. The collection brings together chapters that investigate loneliness from a conceptual standpoint such as philosophy, psychoanalysis, or literature. They prepare the ground for a second section in which loneliness is investigated as it manifests itself in old age and at the end of life, as posing crucial problems for contemporary society. The contributions to the third section then research concrete manifestations of loneliness, such as loneliness amongst asylum seekers, in the workplace, and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Together these chapters offer a unique portrait of loneliness in our time that presents this hotly debated phenomenon in a multi-faceted, novel, and nuanced way.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the University of Exeter, Maynooth University, UCLA and Bentley University.

Combat the rising epidemic of loneliness with trustworthy information and advice Loneliness for Dummies helps readers understand loneliness and how to take steps to overcome this unwanted feeling. At some point in life, loneliness affects everyone. It can be triggered by unusual situations and events like children leaving home, losing a loved one, working remotely, moving, divorce, or retirement. It can also occur seemingly without reason. Thanks to this book, you don’t have to be afraid of being lonely. Loneliness For Dummies explains that loneliness is a natural reaction that signals us to make a change. You’ll learn the signs to look out for to assess loneliness, why people feel lonely, and most importantly, step-by-step actions you can take to reduce your feelings of loneliness. Read case studies of people who have felt lonely to see how they overcame loneliness. This book includes a simple scale to help you measure how lonely you feel, so you can identify which changes to make and assess your progress. Learn why people feel lonely, including the situations that trigger loneliness and what this uncomfortable feeling meansDiscover the signs of loneliness so you can recognize it in others and step in to helpComplete a questionnaire to gauge your own loneliness and identify steps you can take to feel less lonelyMake changes to your lifestyle that will lead to greater satisfaction in the long runThis is the perfect Dummies guide for anyone who is currently feeling adrift without social connections and wants to make a change. Organizations looking for a reference for students or outreach professionals will also appreciate Loneliness For Dummies.

'A book to love and cherish'Deborah Levy, author of The Cost of Living'A beautiful writer and, just as important, a beautiful thinker'Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life'Friendship is, in fact, as much the topic of this book as aloneness'Sarah Bakewell, GuardianAt no time before have so many people lived alone, and never has loneliness been so widely or keenly felt. Why, in a society of individualists, is living alone perceived as a shameful failure? And can we ever be happy on our own?'A heartfelt memoir on being single, living alone and the existential experience of loneliness'Financial Times'Romantic love, suggests the author, is the lone "grand narrative" to have survived seismic societal shifts in modern times . . . Hermits and intimacy, the taboo of loneliness and the consolation of friendship - all find their place in a meditation that nods to joy and adversity'Observer

We are living longer lives, and have choices now as never before about how we will age. But what will make us happy? What changes, made right now, will help us to flourish as we age?This book contains the invaluable lessons Dr Lucy Pollock has learnt from over thirty years of working with older people, from tales of loss, to impossible families, and the importance of learning to live with uncertainty.Medical teams have not always heard the voices of older people or their loved ones. But if we are given power to influence the lives of our future selves, how best shall we use it?