How Lonely Are We in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA?

This past Sunday I really, really meant to get up, get ready and go to church and in hindsight, as a single woman who lives alone, that would have been the best thing for me, but I didn't. Let me explain why that's important.

I'm a 'partner' at the Simple Church and the series we're in now is called 'partners' and it's all about the importance of human connection. This week's specific service was about finding happiness and that it's not found in any kind of academic or business success or in fame and fortune. It's found in connecting with people. That's why I should I have gotten my tail out of bed and gotten ready and hauled myself to church instead of streaming it from home in bed, alone. Keyword = alone.

Justin Haigler, our pastor at Simple Church, shared some shocking stats from an 85-year-long study from Havard regarding happiness. The end result was that they found that 'positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. Period.' That's pretty concise if you ask me. He went on to share some more information regarding loneliness, especially in the wake of the pandemic during which a lot of people became more isolated than ever before. Click here for the infographic regarding 'Depression Statistics Everyone Should Know.'

Sadly, 61% of Americans reported feeling lonely in another recent study he sourced... that's up 7% from the previous year. Clearly, this is an issue that needs addressing. FYI, if you're wondering exactly who Gen Z is, they're the folks born in the mid-'90s through the early 2010s.

You will find more infographics at Statista

Disturbing, isn't it? As a single who lives alone and someone who did so through the majority of the pandemic, I can tell you, yes, I understand what it is to be lonely. If you ever feel like you need to talk and don't feel like you have anyone to talk to, call 988 or you can text "START" to 741-741 and a live, trained specialist will respond back to you. I also invite you to join us at Simple Church. It can be hard, I get it, I really do, but don't give up! YOU ARE WORTH IT!