Try exercising in a gym, taking a workout class, or just go for a jog in the park to be social and healthy at the same damn time. In the long-term, lonely people are more likely to fall victim to issues associated with chronic inflammation: cancer, sensitivity to viruses, and infection, to name a few. It’s a sort of vicious cycle: you’re stressed and your cortisol levels are elevated, but you’re a little panicky, so your body is less sensitive to the beneficial, inflammation-lowering aspect of cortisol. While the hormone cortisol fights inflammation, the fight-or-flight response that loneliness causes drives your body to produce norepinephrine, which actually elevates your white blood cell production and shuts down your bodies natural viral defenses. Your white blood cells elevate, causing possible long-term inflammation.Unless you have plans to be productive in your solitude, try leaving your apartment to meet a friend or just walk in a populated place, like a park, to take a break from your brain. Being part of a social species is kind of a bitch, huh? We often isolate ourselves socially-by canceling plans and sending those sweet, sweet “omg, totally forgot this was tonight!” texts-when we get stressed out. When your body responds to stress by activating fight-or-flight responses, it becomes harder to shut down at the end of the day and rest, even if you desperately want to just be alone and crash. When you’re lonely, research shows that your brain can produce an excess of norepinephrine, a hormone that’s a crucial “signal during the fight or flight response.” Loneliness can feel, to our social selves, like dire straits. Your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode, making it harder to sleep.An excess of cortisol is something your system might not handle well, so talk out your issues with a friend before you bottle up the problems and get overwhelmed. When you aren’t bottling it up and are instead able to talk about your petty problems with a co-worker or a friend, you’re less physically stressed. Studies show that those who complain (or, more gently put, share their issues) with a friend about their problems feel physical relief after commiserating. You probably know that your body produces more cortisol when you’re stressed, so it won’t surprise you to know that cortisol levels are lower when you’re able to socialize. Everyone needs alone time, but experts agree that we need a considerable amount of human interaction and a few deep, meaningful connections to feel that ever-elusive thing known as contentment. Managing our exposure to each other is a complicated thing, though. So how does one’s constant struggle for maximum independence actually affect their health? Can being lonely have actual, physiological markers that you can see and feel with your bod? Of course! Existence is a nightmare! Just kidding. Before cracking open a smooth 32 tabs on my browser and reading Wikipedia entries about cults for two hours, I often wonder, “am I isolating myself?” I mean, yeah.

Whenever I feel the sweet, blissed-out high that is canceling all my plans via text message, it’s usually followed by a quick burst of existential dread.

Im so lonely