Common Sense Health: Feeling alone? Take comfort – You’re in plentiful company

By Diana Gifford-Jones on February 27, 2026.

It’s a sad irony. But the truth is, loneliness is one of the most crowded experiences in modern society. Some prefer their own company and are emotionally stable. There’s no harm in letting them be. But there is an astonishingly high number of people who can be called “situational loners”. These are people who may have recently retired, become empty nesters, have moved to a new community, or lost a spouse.

Some people, once embedded in a tight group of friends, may find themselves geographically or generationally isolated. Maybe they were part of a scene that was once vibrant, but for one reason or another, the scene changed, and they didn’t. They long for the past and may feel socially out of place in today’s society.

Others have outright rejected a world that offers constant online contact as a proxy for companionship. They see some people thriving with it, but the digital world is not for them.

As a society, we’ve never been more connected. But on a human level, we are disconnecting. Smaller families mean fewer close-in relatives. The ease of mobility uproots connections to the communities our families called home for generations. Our convenience economy means we don’t know basic source information about things that are elemental to our lives.

Call it instability, disconnection, isolation, or uneasiness. It’s a societal malaise that is evident as an upward trend in chronic high blood pressure, increased inflammatory markers, weak immune systems, hormonal imbalance, poor sleep, declining cognitive function, and worsening cardiovascular outcomes.

A recent large-scale study has added a striking insight. Investigators analyzing tens of thousands of adults found that loneliness and social isolation are associated with measurable changes in proteins circulating in the blood, many linked to inflammation, immune function, and heart disease. In other words, the body registers loneliness as a form of biological stress, not just an emotional state.

During the latter part of the winter season in particular, problems are magnified. After weeks of less daylight and reduced physical movement, the negative effects start to mount.

What many people don’t realize is that the human body responds to connection the same way it responds to good nutrition or exercise. A brief conversation, a shared task, even a familiar greeting can lower stress hormones. These are small interactions, but biologically, they have a beneficial effect.

The mistake many make is waiting to feel better before reaching out. In reality, reaching out is what produces the improvement. Health rarely returns by withdrawal. It improves through participation, however modest.

Late winter is not the time for grand resolutions. It is the season for simple, repeatable habits. A daily walk at the same hour. A regular coffee with a neighbour. A volunteer shift. A phone call made every Sunday afternoon. These patterns rebuild rhythm, and rhythm is deeply reassuring to both mind and body.

It is also worth remembering that nearly everyone you meet at this time of year is carrying some degree of the same burden. The person beside you in the grocery line, the neighbour shovelling snow, the acquaintance you haven’t called in months – many are waiting for someone else to make the first move.

So if you are feeling alone, take comfort in knowing you are not uniquely afflicted. You are experiencing a very human signal that it is time to reconnect with light, movement, purpose, and people.

Winter will pass. In the meantime, don’t hibernate from life. Step outside, reach out, and give your health the companionship it was designed to enjoy.

This column offers opinions on health and wellness, not personal medical advice. Visit http://www.docgiff.com to learn more. For comments, diana@docgiff.com. Follow on Instagram @diana_gifford_jones

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