Australians from all walks of life share their experience of loneliness and the power of meaningful social connection

Real Stories

 

Everyday Australians share their experience of loneliness.

Loneliness can often feel like an invisible barrier, separating us from the world around us.

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I’ve signed up for volunteering and a book club, as I just love reading.

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I have felt lonely since returning to Australia as I struggle to keep pace with the ongoing changes in society

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It wasn’t until my first deployment that I experienced the loneliness of being away from my loved ones.

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Photo of Phil

A coach said to me: ‘Phil, tell me about yourself.’ I couldn’t answer him. I didn’t know who I was.

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Showing 1-5 of 5 Stories

Video Stories

Hear from fourteen Australians about their experience of loneliness and what helped them form meaningful social connections.

Share Your Story

Loneliness is a shared human experience. 1 in 3 Australians feel lonely but 1 in 2 people are too ashamed to talk about it.

We’re on a mission to start more conversations about loneliness and social isolation to remind people they’re not alone and encourage everyone to take steps towards connection.

Why share your story?

We believe talking about loneliness can help others who feel lonely understand they’re not alone.  We also believe that sharing personal stories can be helpful in making sense of an experience and learning new ways to build meaningful social connections.

Before sharing your story, we encourage you to think about:

  • What is the purpose for sharing my story?
  • What message do I want others to receive from my story?
  • How do I want people to feel after reading my story?
  • Am I comfortable with my story being publicly accessible?
  • What support do I have in place if writing my story raises difficult feelings? Our support page lists 24/7 helplines should you wish to speak with someone.

Story Guidelines

We wish to create a safe space for people to share their experiences with others. We ask that you follow the below guidelines when submitting your story:

  • Please read the Guidelines for Talking about Loneliness
  • Consider if now is the right time for you to share your story
  • Think about the message you wish to share with others. You might wish to:
    – Share a time when you felt lonely
    – Reflect on how your behaviour or attitude changed during this time (this can be helpful for others to spot the signs)
    – Provide insights into the types of connection that made you feel seen, heard and understood
  • We will not publish content that is discriminatory, promotes a product and or service or has content we feel may be harmful to others. If we make edits, we will seek you permission to publish.
  • You do not need to submit a photo and you have to option to remain anonymous.
  • Suggested length: 200-500 words
  • This is not a support page. If you need to speak with someone, please reach out to one of the services listed here.

What happens when I submit my story?

Stories submitted are not automatically published for the safety of our visitors and to ensure they meet our guidelines. Your story will be reviewed by an Ending Loneliness Together team member and uploaded when time permits. If we feel we may not be able to share your story in its current form (based on our guidelines), we may edit your story for clarity or to remove triggering content, but we will always share any edits with you before we publish.

Story Submission Form

This form tells us a bit about you and allows you to send your story to us. All personal details will remain confidential unless consented to.

Please read the Story Guidelines before completing this form.

We’re a small team which means we’re not always able to publish stories or provide feedback as often as we’d like to. However, we will try to respond to your submission within two weeks. Any questions, please contact us through our online contact form.

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Relevant categories: Please select the categories you think apply to your story. These may be added to your story to help visitors find your story.
Would you be interested in sharing your story in the media and Loneliness Awareness Week