Social Isolation (Ramblings)

1996 - 2011 (15 yrs)

As a Christian, from a strict family household... religious rules contributed to my social isolation because without Christian Friends or knowing how to make Friends with non-christian people... I didn't learn certain social skills in order to maintain good friendships with people. After the cynical one (1st Real Relationship), I became very clingy in which she left me, and I was reduced to not wanting to be clingy towards people... so I therefore spent more time alone because I also worked nights. However, I never partied or socialized much during my early college years. When I was 18 (1996), I spent most of my time alone in college computer labs engaging with virtual friends (online & chatting). And when I turned 22, I took a job working nights where I also spent the next 7 yrs working nights alone with very limited social interaction with people.

Now (2012), its hard for me to maintain a consistent level of real-life friendships, or even getting over my anxiety when it comes to being around real-life people. I'm aware of the situation, but still trying to work through the problems contributed from a long life of increased self-isolation from real people. Working on a problem is useless, unless I can actually determine what the problem is... therefore that is why I write these blogs. The fixing of this problem is more likely and possible, now that I'm aware of its origins and how to stop it from taking over the rest of my life.

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Virtual friends are not adequate substitutes for real-world friends, and research suggests that individuals who substitute virtual for real friends are to become lonelier and more depressive.

Men having no one to confide in are less likely to feel alert and strong, calm, energetic and happy. Instead, they are more likely to feel depressed, sad, tired and worn out.

A common sense notion frequently expressed is that social relationships beneficially affect health, not only because of their supportiveness, but also because of the social control that others exercise over a person, especially by encouraging health-promoting behaviors such as adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and compliance with medical regimens or by discouraging health-damaging behaviors such as smoking, excessive eating, alcohol consumption, or drug abuse.