"It was like I'd been shut away": How lockdown has affected young people in Worcestershire
!7-year-old Izzy is hoping to break the stigma around loneliness only affecting older people
A 17-year-old from Kidderminster has opened up about her experiences of loneliness during the pandemic.
Izzy, who didn't give her last name, says she felt like she'd "been shut away" following the death of her father during lockdown.
New research from youth charity, The Mix, has found 60% of young people (16-25) had felt lonely in the past 12 months - with 44% of girls and young women more likely to feel lonely compared to boys and young men (34%).
Talking to us, Izzy said:
"It felt like people didn't care. Because I wasn't allowed to see anyone and because people were like "you can't go see anyone, you can't give people hugs" it was really hard.
"I could see them two metres apart outside but I couldn't give them a hug and it just felt like I was completely alone".
Young people want to break the silence around “skin hunger” as loneliness increases for under 25s due to not being able to see family or friends.
"Skin hunger" occurs when people miss physical contact with others.
Studies have shown that touch makes us feel calmer and happier, so it's unsurprising that being deprived of this would have such a significant impact on mental wellbeing.
Izzy is now joining other young people in breaking the silence and stigma about loneliness in young people.
She continued:
"People sort of looked down on it because I'm not old and I'm not shielding or have health conditions.
"But I went through a pretty hard time. It just felt like I was completely isolated from everyone.
"I would say just reach out to adults or professionals and just talk. You might feel like they can't help you but even them just listening and talking to them, getting things off your chest can really help".
If you're suffering from loneliness, here are some charities who can help:
- Kidderminster & District Youth Trust: www.kdyt.org.uk
- MIND: www.mind.org.uk