When Isla Stewart was left alone for two days over Christmas she felt sad and anxious.
But she wasn’t really sure what she was experiencing until she thought about the reasons why she was feeling this way.
That’s when she realised that she was actually suffering from a bout of loneliness.
“I’d spent some time with my family but there were two days right in the middle of the Christmas break I felt awful and I didn’t know why,” she says.
“I felt teary and a bit anxious and stressed and I was thinking that I was lonely.
“It was a weird and noticeable feeling and it felt like it was embarrassing to admit. It caught me off guard.”
‘We’re scared about being judged’
Luckily, the 45-year-old, who works in marketing, reached out to her family to chat but Isla started thinking more about how loneliness affects people.
And after speaking to some of her friends, it soon became apparent that people can feel lonely for many different reasons.
Parents whose children have left home can be affected as well as people living alone.
But it can also be down to dealing with a new situation such as taking on a new job or even a relationship break-up.
“We all feel it at some point in our life, but we’re scared to say for fear of being judged,” she says.
The Aberdeen resident came up with the idea of launching a new podcast Me, Myself, and I(sla) – Lifting the Lid on Loneliness which will launch on March 18.
By speaking to others about times in their lives they’ve felt lonely she hopes to help others find a way through too.
In the first episode, Astrid Whyte and Laura Simmons from the charity Mental Health Aberdeen talk about their own experiences.
Moving to a new country can be lonely
During the episode, Astrid, who works as counselling services manager at the charity, shares her own experience of how losing her partner four years ago affected her.
And she highlights how all the restrictions during the pandemic made it really difficult to connect with others.
Isla also chats to Carolyn Pierpont, who moved to Rotterdam and was diagnosed with breast cancer within days of going into lockdown.
Separated from her family back home in Scotland, she felt alone, especially at the end of her treatment when she no longer had the help of her doctors.
Another episode features city resident Adele Slater who talks about single positivity and how she would rather be alone than trapped in a relationship with the wrong partner.
There are some great tips from those sharing their experiences on the Aberdeen podcast about how they’ve coped with loneliness.
And Isla highlights that it’s a great time to start thinking of joining a club so you can enjoy new hobbies.
“You will meet people who are feeling the same as you are who are doing it for the same reasons,” she says.
She added: “Most importantly I just want this podcast to show people that they’re not alone and that they’re not always going to be facing this experience.
“It’s really great to find people speaking so honestly and I really hope it helps people feel better and less alone.”
Me, myself, and I(sla) – Lifting the Lid on Loneliness will be available on the Podbean app, Amazon Music and Spotify.
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