52 Friends is a Canadian non-profit with the mission of educating on the benefits of social connectivity by documenting cool stories and creating opportunities for candid conversations.
Why are you doing this?
Throughout 2022, I suffered from a heavy depression for about six months. It took me a long time to admit to myself that it was driven by a lack of social connectivity. I think that was because there is a stigma that surrounds loneliness—one of being unlikeable or lacking the ability to make or maintain relationships. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Quite simply, human relationship is as essential to our well-being as food and water. Just as hunger and thirst are our body’s ways of telling us we need to eat or drink, loneliness is the natural signal that reminds us when we need to connect with other people. There is no cause for shame in that. Yet hunger and thirst feel much more acceptable to acknowledge and talk about than loneliness. To combat this silencing effect, then, we need to more deeply appreciate the relationship between loneliness, social connection, and physical and emotional health. In so doing, we can lift the burden of shame, blame, and criticism that fuels the stigma around loneliness.” Vivek H. Murthy, MD, 19th Surgeon General of the United States
I was finally able to make it out of this period of sadness by forming new social connections and reaching out to old ones.
~ Miriam
About Miriam Amdur
Miriam Amdur is a writer, product marketer, and funny girl.
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