Home HomeSwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

So, breaking summer loneliness requires courage.

Summer means vacation and a lot of wonderful things – but not for everyone. It can also be a lonely time when the daily routine with colleagues disappears.

» Updated: 16 July 2024, 14:42

» Published: 08 July 2024

So, breaking summer loneliness requires courage.
Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Summer means vacation and a lot of wonderful things – but not for everyone. It can also be a lonely time when the daily routine with colleagues disappears.

There may be several reasons why people feel isolated during the summer. Maybe they have more social connections with work and colleagues, but less socializing in the form of friends and family in their daily lives.

Then it can become very painful. Especially when you see everyone having fun on vacation and it becomes clear that you may not have many people to socialize with, says Anette Utterbäck, who is a psychologist, psychotherapist, and author.

Breaking loneliness

Daring to take the leap and meet new people is not always easy, and it can be difficult to know how to break loneliness.

The problem doesn't have to be that you're not brave enough, but it can actually be that you try and stretch out a hand without getting one back.

About 700,000 people in Sweden lack a close friend, according to figures from SCB. According to the statistics, it is more common among men than women.

Anette Utterbäck explains that in some cases, loneliness can be about understanding oneself better and how one acts in relationships with other people. Trying to build relationships as best one can is important.

It doesn't have to be many, but that you have a network around you and see it as important and not something you forget about during the winter when you're busy.

It can also help to first accept a situation you want to change. From acceptance, it becomes easier to find strategies for how to break your own isolation, even in the long term, according to Anette Utterbäck.

It can be anything from daring to take the leap, to reading a self-help book or going to therapy. There are different steps that may be needed for different people.

Requires courage

Christian Altenius started the non-profit activity site Citypolarna after moving and losing his social network.

I wasn't quite prepared for how difficult it would be to find friends as an adult and felt really bad about it, he says.

Citypolarna is an online forum where members invite each other to different types of activities. It can be anything from running rounds to finding someone to go to a museum or concert with. Christian Altenius' best tip is to dare.

Courage. That's what it takes. It's scary to take the leap and do something completely new with new people, but in this context, everyone is in the same situation and it's often easier than you think.

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

The Left and the Sweden Democrats want to sell weapons to Israel
2 MIN READ

The Left and the Sweden Democrats want to sell weapons to Israel

Suspected data breach by foreign power
1 MIN READ

Suspected data breach by foreign power

Private flying to holiday paradises – emissions increase
2 MIN READ

Private flying to holiday paradises – emissions increase

Woman secretly filmed the elderly – prosecuted
1 MIN READ

Woman secretly filmed the elderly – prosecuted

Woman Assaulted – Police Investigate Rape
1 MIN READ

Woman Assaulted – Police Investigate Rape

Norwegian Police: We Have Stopped Swedish Criminality
1 MIN READ

Norwegian Police: We Have Stopped Swedish Criminality

Unique finds at a Scanian sacrificial site from the Stone Age
1 MIN READ

Unique finds at a Scanian sacrificial site from the Stone Age

Three seriously injured after crashing into a tree
1 MIN READ

Three seriously injured after crashing into a tree

Boy guilty of attacks linked to online sect
2 MIN READ

Boy guilty of attacks linked to online sect

The Renmark Committee is Dissolved Following Criticism
1 MIN READ

The Renmark Committee is Dissolved Following Criticism

Kristersson skips the climate summit
1 MIN READ

Kristersson skips the climate summit

Audit: Kinberg Batra's severance package not incorrect
1 MIN READ

Audit: Kinberg Batra's severance package not incorrect

Man Dead – Crushed Under Work Machine
1 MIN READ

Man Dead – Crushed Under Work Machine

Deadly Synthetic Opioids Classified as Narcotics
2 MIN READ

Deadly Synthetic Opioids Classified as Narcotics

Dropped investigation against Jomshof for hate crime
1 MIN READ

Dropped investigation against Jomshof for hate crime

The Government Extends Border Control
1 MIN READ

The Government Extends Border Control

Swedes arrested for terrorist crimes in Copenhagen
2 MIN READ

Swedes arrested for terrorist crimes in Copenhagen

Two students stabbed at school in Hallsberg
2 MIN READ

Two students stabbed at school in Hallsberg

Unannounced visits, a new weapon against benefit fraud
2 MIN READ

Unannounced visits, a new weapon against benefit fraud

16-year-old convicted of murder plan in Denmark
2 MIN READ

16-year-old convicted of murder plan in Denmark