The festive season is often painted as a time of joy, togetherness and celebration, but for many, it can amplify feelings of loneliness and disconnection. At Pharmacist Support, we know that this reality affects countless individuals, including people in the pharmacy profession who dedicate themselves to the care of others. Loneliness was a key focus of our recent Pharmacist ACTNow wellbeing campaign, as we sought to highlight its impact and provide meaningful ways to address it. This holiday season, we’re continuing that mission by offering guidance, resources and support to help you navigate these challenges and remind you that you are never truly alone. 

The statistics behind loneliness 

There’s often a taboo around loneliness, but a BBC Loneliness Experiment Study found that a third of people often or very often feel lonely. People who say they often feel lonely also report poorer health and at Pharmacist Support, we understand that loneliness can have a negative impact on mental health, making people feel they have nobody to talk to, disconnected from the world, left out, sad or misunderstood. 

There are key life points or times of year which can trigger acute feelings of loneliness such as moving away from home, working in a remote location, starting university or a new job, becoming a parent, a relationship break up, bereavement, retirement, festive holidays, weekends and bank holidays. 

Being alone is not the same as being lonely 

Many people like to spend time on their own. Equally, living alone can have advantages. It gives you a greater level of independence and the freedom to choose how you spend your time. Living alone is not an issue, but if you find that you are not spending enough time with others, this can lead to feelings of loneliness. 

Nurturing social connections 

Even if you are living in a crowded household, are surrounded by people or have a busy workplace, it is still possible to feel lonely. Family dynamics and family gatherings over the holidays can also be difficult and may increase your feelings of loneliness, isolation and even stress. 

Here are some Pharmacist Support resources which you may find useful to support your wellbeing and combat feelings of loneliness: 

• Guidance on exploring your social connections 

• Guidance on improving social skills and connections 

• Support with staying connected with others and alternative ways to connect 

• Information on connecting with others through the power of giving back 

• Our free ACTNow wellbeing pack featuring support with loneliness, workplace culture and physical health 

• Support with depression, anxiety and worry 

Peer Support

It’s important to talk about how you are feeling. You can reach out to our Listening Friends service in order to connect with another pharmacist. Through this peer support service, you can speak in confidence and anonymously to one of our trained volunteer pharmacists about issues you may be encountering in your work life, studies or personal life. This will give you the opportunity to talk about your loneliness and how you are feeling. Listening Friends can call you in the daytime, the evening or at the weekend so you should be able to choose a time that suits you, regardless of your schedule.

Find out more about Listening Friends 

Counselling

If you would benefit from professional psychological support, we offer a confidential counselling service. Since we launched this service in 2021, our counselling provider has developed a deep understanding of the issues facing pharmacists and we are pleased to report much shorter waiting times to see counsellors via our counselling partnership than through many other routes. The counsellors are there to help you deal with a variety of issues. By seeking constructive help, you may identify ways of addressing the root causes of your concerns in order to help you to cope. 

Find out more about counselling