Loneliness, Meet Community.

 It’s wonderful to be alone when you choose solitude.
 

It’s normal to sometimes feel alone because we’re built for social connection.
 

It’s when we feel isolated we may give in to low self esteem.
 

This can lead to harmful isolation.
 

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That’s why we need to be equipped to care for ourselves and for others.
 

We need a positive view of mental health.
 

We must work together to create social health.
 

That’s the vision of Togetherland.
 

All are welcome.
 

As you'll note in the PPT and videos above, the workshops consist of: 

• Introduction / Instruction - Introduce attendees to basic concepts
• Exercise - Show people what social connection feels like as a way to equip / train 
• Q&A - Discussion sessions designed to help embed the experience of social connection
• Life Satisfaction / Social Connection Surveys to scientifically measure attendee connection

We are regularly updating our Togetherland Community Documentation materials via a public Google document.  All are welcome to add materials here while following our Community Guidelines. 

Most people are familiar with AA's model of providing a Sponsor for a fellow alcoholic newly working to stop drinking.  Our hope is as Togetherland workshops grow in frequency and scope, attendees who have addressed their immediate isolation issues with pragmatic tools discovered in meetings can support other newer members / attendees.  Basically a new Togetherland attendee can  request to have a Kindness Connector who they could call or text when they were having intense bouts of loneliness or isolation.  

Note that Togetherland is not a formal mental health based organization like a hospital, psychiatric center, or clinic and we will always provide resources and phone numbers for local hotlines or centers as needed.  The process of how these Kindness Connectors will work is in development and we welcome your thoughts. 

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community.  This is a seminal document describing the negative physical, economic and community effects of isolation along with "Six PIllars to Advance Social Connection."  We'll be using this as a key resource in our workshops to test, discuss and implement the Six Pillars along with other resources. 

This compelling and beautifully illustrated graphic novel, written by Kristen Radtke is A Journey Through American Loneliness, that "digs into our attempts to feel closer to one another, and the distance that remains. Through the lenses of gender and violence, technology and art, Radtke ushers us through a history of loneliness and longing, and shares what feels impossible to share." 

This article by James C. Arnott of the Aspen Global Change Institute inspired an idea for Togetherland: 

As a key activity to offer attendees of any workshop, we'll be advocating for volunteer or other opportunities that directly help the planet (cleaning up trash, working in a community garden).  If 1 in 2 people suffer from isolation, think of the power to help them and the planet if isolation can be directed towards connection that helps people and the planet directly! Here's a compelling bit of research from Arnott's article: 

Late last year, two health researchers from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, André Hajek and Hans-Helmut König, reported an association between climate anxiety and perceived social isolation. They surveyed over 3,000 people living in Germany, using questions designed to test levels of loneliness, isolation, and climate anxiety. Respondents also provided demographic and lifestyle details, such as age, gender, location, and alcohol/smoking habits. When these factors are included, the survey data analysis found an association between climate anxiety and both loneliness and social isolation. Higher levels of loneliness and isolation were significantly associated with higher levels of climate anxiety for the overall population and for those between the ages of 18–64.

Stephan Joppich provides An evidence-based guideline to evaluate your (hidden) feelings of loneliness in this excellent article.  He provides his own loneliness formula along with this key insight: 

Loneliness, then, is the gap between desired and perceived connections. The higher our desire — our expectations — to change our social connections, the lonelier we’ll feel. The lower our perception — our experience — of feeling connected, the lonelier we’ll feel.

He also provides a link to the UCLA Loneliness scale which we'll test  at Togetherland workshops and has multiple articles on loneliness all worth reading. 

There is a sustainable clothing company also called Togetherland that looks very cool and we wanted to recognize them here.  Hopefully we can do an event with them at some point.