Good morning,

There are few emotions that people hate more than the feeling of loneliness. So much so that the very thought of loneliness can cause distress.

Years ago, when I threw house parties and I was ready for people to go home at the end of the night, I didn't directly ask them to leave. Instead, I would join a group of people and steer the conversation towards the topic of loneliness.

Within five minutes those people would be heading for the door. By repeating this strategy, fleeing partygoers created a momentum and my apartment would be empty in no time!

There have been some sobering results from a recent study on loneliness conducted by researchers at Harvard University.

The study found that 36% of people in the United States reported "serious loneliness," rising to 60% for some groups, such as young adults.

Not only is feeling lonely a crappy place to be, the study also shows "the potentially steep costs of loneliness, including early mortality and a wide array of serious physical and emotional problems, including depression, anxiety, heart disease, substance abuse, and domestic abuse."

I know that I have experienced more loneliness and disconnection in the last few years than at any other period in my life, and even post-pandemic it's a concern I work on with many of my clients.

In this week's podcast I have a simple tap-along audio to help with loneliness, plus a tapping script that you can print out.

I know how little fun it is to think about loneliness, but as the study shows, avoiding or denying those difficult feelings will only make them worse.

Tap along here: https://tappingqanda.com/547

I hope you enjoy the tap-along, and know that you are not alone.

Gene

PS: When we are experiencing loneliness, we tend to ruminate on past memories and failings. Here is a conversation with my friend Naomi Janzen on a simple process that you can use to clear old memories more quickly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSr2t67uH6M

The conversation was from the last year's 24 Hours of Tapping. Make sure you mark your calendar to join us July 14th and 15th for this year's event.