Excellent article on loneliness, not just on the support and social aspect, but the problems with not feeling you have any control.
“Loneliness has always been explained as a deficit in the satisfaction of one’s communion or relational needs,” Ybarra says. “But in addition to communion needs, individuals also need agency, personal control and choice, and not meeting this need should also affect experienced loneliness.”
☝️ related to this article, I have been having a lot of side chats with folks re loneliness and with an aim to help people connect as well as create a sense of agency, I wondered about it now exists! [@lonelinesscorps ] group where people could reach out when they are lonely and chat (peer support), but also share resources and ideas for more local or niche specific projects (agency), start building the infrastructure to ameliorate the isolation. #loneliness
I have some asks re logistics...
can someone explain mastondon groups to me? How are they are set up, do they need to be monitored? I see some really effective ones going, but also some that don't take off.
Does anybody want to take this ball and run with it? I don't have the chuff to lead on this one, but can hopefully help connect the right pieces and generally uplift this.
Also, pls comment with any groups or tags any of you are finding useful when yer lonely, let's start by sharing some resources! #loneliness
@thanius
Helpful! Thank you. So if I am reading that right you can create a group pretty much just by signing up for one on guppe and then it just self runs?
The comments on how to deal with unwanted posts and stuff (the same as any non-group posts) was helpful and reassuring, thx @FediTips for all the excellent info you consolidate. 🧡
@bjb yaaaaas!
The #sitTogether tag is one I started for sharing quiet moments, whether that's meditation or just sitting down and taking a time out from a mad world. A peaceful contemplative place to drop yer toots.
And I think #joinIn started as a place for folks to connect over what can be a really lonely time at xmas. It's nice to see that is expanding into any lonely moments. 💖
@dougwade Oh cool. This looks like you can set up groups just for your server, yeah?
Interesting....
I'm thinking the @lonelinessCorps thing would work best broadly federated, but this may be useful for folks who have schemes for more local or specific connecting. 🤔
This whole discussion is half tools and half ideas for bringing people together. We're gonna need both. Both in meatspace and online.
@lonelinesscorps ]
we'll use this as a vehicle to help people connect both when they are feeling lonely (peer support) and as a place to share resources and projects for community building online or irl.
Plus need ~12 trunkies to help enliven the group and get the conversations rolling. Ping me if ya wanna help (especially if yer lonely). #loneliness#lonelinessCorps#mentalHealth
@vlrny@lonelinesscorps I have been self entertaining most of my life but still feel that I miss people I have never met. I am a member of a 12 step group that meets virtually on a very regular basis and this helps a lot but still only covers a portion of my personality. A “lefty” deep in red, rural territory. I have seen the damage isolation has caused in my old man and have vowed to do what I can to avoid that. Mastodon has helped me connect with like minds. I’m in.
@farah yay! I'll add ya to my helper list. Thanks!
Mostly just need folks to use the tag, check in and respond to others who are using it so nobody is tooting in the dark (on a loneliness tag, which would be both extra sad AND ironic).
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