LifeLine New Zealand

Christmas isnft a happy time for everyone. Many people, especially the elderly, live alone and at this time of year feel particularly lonely. The absence of friends, colleagues, neighbours, family or caregivers can leave a person feeling depressed and socially isolated. Loneliness can be one of the hardest experiences a person has to deal with and can often lead to suicide or suicidal thoughts. Loneliness is not confined to the elderly or to those living on their own. A person may have lots of friends and acquaintances and yet still feel lonely. The loss of colleagues when being made redundant; the loss of a partner by death or break up; the empty feeling in a dysfunctional marriage; the knowledge that a small child is growing away from you when it first starts school; the empty-nest feeling when a child leaves home; moving to a new country or town ?? these can all lead to feelings of acute loneliness. Everyone feels lonely sometimes but usually they can reach out to someone and share their emotions. For those people with no-one close to reach out to LifeLine is there 24/7. Even on Christmas Day, there is a counsellor somewhere in New Zealand who has given up their free time to be there for someone in need of someone to talk to.