Let’s talk about loneliness

Adrian

Posted 4 days ago

Fri 10 Oct, 2025 12:10 AM

Supporting students to build connections

It's normal to feel lonely sometimes. Students are more at risk from loneliness than most other people, and 92% of students have felt lonely at least once during the academic year.

What is loneliness?

Loneliness is when we don’t have the quality or quantity of social relationships that we would like. Some people might feel lonely because they have moved or a relationship has ended. Some people may have lots of friends or family in their life, but still feel lonely. There isn’t always an obvious cause.

Dealing with loneliness

The most important thing is to talk about how you’re feeling. There has been a stigma associated with loneliness which can make it feel harder to ask for help. We want to break that stigma and make sure we’re all talking and looking out for each other, because everyone feels lonely from time to time, especially at university.

Try not to compare yourself to others. Social media can help us feel closer to people, but it can also make us feel lonelier. Remember that people often only post the best parts of their lives on social media.

It can help to spend time outdoors – this is particularly important as the days get shorter – and keep doing the things you enjoy.

Connecting with your community

Meeting new people can help us to feel happier and healthier. This may be hard if you have been feeling lonely for a while, but there are lots of ways to meet new people and try new things at university in London, and in your local community, including free events, activities, volunteering, social groups and much more.

Support to meet new people

If you would like support to meet new people, a social prescriber can help you to find activities that are right for you. They can also help with other support and advice you might need, for example with your mental or physical health.

Under 25s who live, work or study in Camden can access social prescribing support by referring themselves to The Hive.
Anyone aged 18 or over can refer themselves for social prescribing through Reach Out Camden.

Helping someone who is feeling lonely

If you're concerned that someone you know might be feeling lonely, talk with them about how they're feeling. If it feels right, you could help them look for ways to connect with other people, or show them where to get support if they need it.