What is the difference between isolation and loneliness?

Isolation is when you are alone by yourself with no one around you. Isolation is the physical separation that you are alone with no one around. People can be isolated but not feel lonely. Loneliness doesn't always mean that you are alone or by yourself; it can also mean you feel alone or no one understands you and you feel left out. People can be surrounded by other people yet still feel lonely simply because they think they don't fit in or they feel they have been left out. Isolation can have many negative effects on a person such as increased sadness, social anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns. Loneliness can be defined as feeling alone from others, or just feeling empty.

Isolation is being by yourself. People who are isolated are not always lonely though. Loneliness is feeling like there’s nobody to talk to or do things with. While many lonely people feel isolated, not all isolated people feel lonely. This is the major difference. Also, sometimes people want to be isolated. Maybe they just don’t like interacting that much, or maybe they have social anxiety. If isolated for too long, one can become lonely, and therefore they start to mix together in a sense. Lonely people tend to be isolated because they feel like no one is there for them.

Isolation is choosing to be alone or needing time to self. People often need some time to themselves after a stressful day at work and encounter with family. Isolation should not last for more than a week. Human interaction whether in person or through a computer screen is a vital part of everyday life. While loneliness is having no one around to talk to or be with. It is the longing for a friend or someone to ask "are you ok". Loneliness can lead to depressive thoughts and actions and can take more work to come out of. If you are every lonely, I am here to chat!

Solitude as “the state of what is or lives alone”. A better conceptualization of loneliness must consider at least the following aspects: – lack of meaning and purpose in life; – emotional reaction; – unwanted and unpleasant feeling; – feeling of isolation and separation; – deficiency in relationships. Lack of meaning and purpose in life: Loneliness can produce a feeling of alienation in the individual from other human beings, leading to a questioning about the origins and feeling of existence. Where did I come from? Where I go? are questions that may arise in these circumstances. Emotional reaction: Generally, the psychological feeling of isolation is what characterizes loneliness. Unwanted and unpleasant feeling: Loneliness can sometimes be accompanied by the feeling of anguish, producing additional suffering in those who are deprived of longer-lasting intimate relationships. Feeling of isolation and separation: It is the psychological confirmation of the state of loneliness. Deficiency in relationships: This is one of the characteristics of most solitary people, which culminates in producing a kind of feedback throughout the loneliness process, feeding it back. In this sense, loneliness would be a response to the lack of social and emotional relationships. Isolation already differs from solitude. There may also be passive social isolation and voluntary isolation. Passive social isolation is that phenomenon of continuous or variable social deprivation that occurs without the subject, that is, those contingencies of life or social situations that determine an individual to involuntarily move away from their social context. It is generally characterized by the coercive and imposed character of social separation. Voluntary social isolation, on the other hand, is composed of those forms of isolation where the subject is the active element of the process, that is, he is the one who, spontaneously and without suffering any external pressure, yearns for and seeks such detachment from his habitual social environment, either by a restricted period of time or for an extended period.

A lot of times people think that isolation and loneliness are the same but in reality, they aren't the same but yes they do relate. While isolation could be a physical state caused because of lack of social connections or the person limiting their contacts, loneliness could be called a emotional state due to feeling empty or "different" from others. A person can choose to be alone or isolate themselves and not feeling lonely or they can be surrounded by a lot of people and still feel lonely. Also, in some cases, isolation can also lead to loneliness!