Why We Isolate Ourselves and How to Reconnect

What drives us to withdraw from the world, choosing solitude over connection? Is it the peace we seek or the fear that lurks within? Social isolation affects millions. This video explores social isolation, why we do it, and how to stop it.

Video: Why We Isolate Ourselves and How to Reconnect

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#loneliness #socialisolation #alone

00:00 Introduction
01:29 Facts and dangers of social isolation
05:24 Why do we socially isolate
08:49 The easy way out
12:31 Getting out there

[MargoP]

It's about disappointment. When people have disappointed you in so many ways, it's just hard to get up the enthusiasm to try yet again.

[TwoDudesPhilosophy]

“But I need solitude--which is to say, recovery, return to myself, the breath of a free, light, playful air.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

[__Liza__]

I'm lonelier when I am at the office than at home alone. I love my own company.

[mitthrawnuruodo]

I stopped being lonely when I accepted my aloneness. The desire for something outside of yourself makes you lonely, if you don’t desire you don’t feel lonely.

[archlich]

Being alone is not the worst. The worst is being around people who make you FEEL alone. In my case, that is most people.

[davedeblaey]

As with all things, seek balance. I live alone in the northern woods of Wisconsin, but I also interact with friends and family. Also, I think there is a difference between being alone in nature, and being alone in a city. Nature is a healing environment, while a city is not; Lao Tzu realized this, and went to live in nature.

[mystykalmn]

It's better to be alone than to be in the company you feel lonely

[coleyod]

I think those who isolate themselves wish to see people, but feel they are misunderstood and people don't really see them for who they are.

[bears]

I love being by myself, but the issue is the guilt that comes with it, the fear of regretting not spending time with people when they are still here...

[whitehairvillain]

i dont find social interaction scary... i find it plain-exhausting...

[Zoet]

I spend most of my time in nature, so surrounded by life, but absent of people . Works for me and I’m very happy.

[jcwolfe]

This is an interesting topic for me. I’ve lived alone for about 15 years. Ten years out in a rural area far from town. I was originally from the city in California but moved to New Mexico which has very few people compared to California. I don’t mind being alone as I have a lot of animal companions. But as I’ve gotten older I find that most people I meet don’t interest me for companionship. Nowadays people seem more flaky to me than in the past. I rarely find anyone who is interesting, intelligent or spiritually evolved enough to make me want to spend time with them. I would love to meet people that would interest me but it just doesn’t happen. I also think that in this day and age with the internet and streaming it’s easy to disappear into some interests or shows and that can make a person less likely to go out and interact with people because you can live vicariously through these people and exotic places that are so much more interesting than anything you could create in you own life. Much easier even than reading a good novel. And I think this is a huge issue that contributes to isolation.

[annac.valente]

It’s crazy how every time there’s a new video, it aligns with something that’s happening in my life. Like people say, there’s not a single individual experience

[kastenolsen]

Solitude gives me time to learn and discover myself.

[kayleighdriessen]

I've been through too many forced superficial social interactions and relationships to ever seek out this sort of stuff again just to not have to be alone with my thoughts because I've come to highly value solitude and self-reflection. All people and things come and go but if you let some of them go and they come back to you, you know you've found something meaningful and worthwhile💜.

[Gustmazz]

I see the purpose of the video and entirely agree with it. Still, there is a very big thing about social isolation that I feel is often ignored when people talk about it: One of the reasons why so many people are isolated is, to put it bluntly, because people are getting shittier and more intolerant, overall.

Everyone is being conditioned to become more narcissistic and intolerant these days, especially now that we have things like social media algorithms. It's just harder to find pure empathy. Everyone wants to talk, no one wants to listen. Everyone wants to be loved, but few truly open their hearts to love, and sometimes they don't precisely because they've been hurt in the past.

Yes, a lot of people isolate because of their social anxiety, but another huge factor is because It's quite difficult to find mentally healthy, emotionally mature people to talk to now.
Almost everyone seems to be hurting each other because of this, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not.

[cledosliop]

There are too many fake friends and nasty relationships. I don’t have time for that and I refuse to offer my time to those people. If you call that social isolation, then I have to say, I love being socially isolated！ And I don’t want to change. 😊

[ArthurM]

"But I'll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything. That every little insect that comes buzzing around you is a messenger, and that little insect is connected with human beings everywhere else. You can hear. You become incredibly sensitive in your ears and you hear far-off sounds. And just by the very nature of isolating yourself and becoming quiet, you become intensely aware of your relationship with everything else that's going on. The wind moves the leaves and branches of the trees and suddenly you realize that the sounds and your eardrum are one process."

-Alan Watts

[lillierose]

I really don't have the energy anymore to go out and get hurt again. I just can't. I'm too tired.

[kennydebique]

My whole life I like to be by myself, because it's peaceful and liberating. I gained contentment in my late twenties. My family and people try to change me since I was a child, but I'm true to myself and will never light myself on fire to keep others warm. I enjoy being around people who I can learn from or share opinions with. But my personal life I love: peace, quiet and freedom.