Viva Vitality: Loneliness

By Taniel Zanidean on October 31, 2025.

Loneliness is a universal human experience like hunger or thirst. It is a natural signal that something is missing from our lives – in this case, human connection. While everyone gets lonely, some are more susceptible to acute or chronic loneliness.

Loneliness has reached pandemic levels that affect both rural and urban areas, and people across all walks of life. In the first quarter of 2024, according to Statistics Canada, more than 1 in 10 people aged 15-plus said they always or often felt lonely. The National Institute on Ageing reports that 43 per cent of Canadians over 50 are at risk of isolation and 59 per cent are experiencing loneliness, driven by factors like living alone, health issues and low income.

As the cold, dark months begin to approach, feelings of loneliness and isolation can increase, and prolonged isolation can negatively affect your health. It is particularly important to consider ways to connect during this time.

As hard as it is to brave the late afternoon darkness, meeting up with friends or attending community events is a great way to combat the feelings of winter loneliness.

Find a local group – this could include a walking or running group, social club, volunteer organization, fitness activity or club, book club, and other civic or religious gatherings.

Include a friend in an activity you’re already doing – this could include an afternoon dog walk, trip to the grocery store, or a morning yoga class.

Make a regular date with a friend, even if it’s a phone call to connect and check in.

Since 2016, the Foundation for Arts & Healing have curated a series of award-winning short films that give voice to the loneliness epidemic and represent the many lived experiences with isolation through an initiative called Project UnLonely. Project UnLonely began to address the growing public health concern of social isolation and chronic loneliness and has three goals: to raise awareness of loneliness and its negative physical and mental health effects, to destigmatize loneliness, and to make programming available to address it.

You can watch films from Project UnLonely year-round with more than 150 available for free. According to Dr. Jeremy Nobel, Founder and President of the Foundation for Art and Healing, Project UnLonely was created “to help reduce the stigma and burden of loneliness by encouraging people to tap into outlets for creative expression. Today, it is more timely than ever as people around the world struggle with the impact of social isolation. We hope the UnLonely Film Festival offers viewers an opportunity to learn, laugh, cry, smile, and, most importantly, connect.”

Want to attend a Project UnLonely Film Fest in your area? What Matters to Hatters Coalition is hosting a Project UnLonely Film Fest and Community Mingle at the Monarch Theatre on Nov. 8. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. with the film fest starting at 2 p.m. There will be a $5 concession coupon for the first 100 people. For more details, visit http://www.whatmatterstohatters.com.

“The most important things in life are the connections you make with others.”

– Tom Ford

Taniel Zanidean is a health promotion facilitator with Recovery Alberta

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