TABLE OF CONTENTS Video Summary Related Content Video

TABLE OF CONTENTS Video Summary & Related Content Video Review Before Viewing While Viewing Talk Prompts After Viewing The Story Activity #1: How to Beat Critical Self-Talk Activity #2: Comparing Advice Sources 3 4 5 6 8 11 13 17 21 24 CREDITS News in Review is produced by CBC NEWS and curio. ca GUIDE Writer: Jennifer Watt Editor: Sean Dolan VIDEO Host: Michael Serapio Senior Producer: Jordanna Lake Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard Associate Producer: Francine Laprotte Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone Visit www. curio. ca/newsinreview for an archive of all previous News In Review seasons. As a companion resource, go to www. cbc. ca/news for additional articles. CBC authorizes reproduction of material contained in this guide for educational purposes. Please identify source. News In Review is distributed by: curio. ca | CBC Media Solutions © 2019 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

LONELINESS: The New Silent Killer Video duration – 19: 05 More people are lonely than ever before. Studies show that one in five Canadians identify as being lonely. Loneliness is more than a feeling of occasional solitude: it’s a prolonged feeling of perceived isolation. While long seen as being bad for mental health, loneliness is now recognized as being physically harmful too. It's being called the silent killer — considered by some experts as being more harmful than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In fact, loneliness is now linked to heart disease, depression, obesity and other lifethreatening conditions. So why, in our highly connected world, are we so lonely? And what can we do about it? Related Content on curio. ca • • • #bully. PROOF, Classroom Confidential National Geographic: Social Climbers Studio K: Why is Cottonball Feeling Lonely? curio. ca/newsinreview /3

VIDEO REVIEW curio. ca/newsinreview /4

BEFORE VIEWING WORD CLOUD – To start exploring the concept of loneliness as a class, use an online tool that helps you create a word cloud, e. g. Word. It. Out (www. worditout. com/word-cloud/create). Your teacher will set up the word cloud and let you know how and when to add to it: ● ● ● Choose 3 -5 words that you associate with loneliness Enter your word choices in the word cloud as instructed by your teacher Do not worry if the words you selected have already been entered by others. (By default in Word. It. Out, for example, the more frequently a word is entered, the larger it becomes in the word cloud. ) After you and your classmates have made your additions to the world cloud, you can analyze and discuss the results of your sharing as a class. Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview /5

WHILE VIEWING 1. Children can suffer from loneliness. ❑ TRUE or ❑ FALSE 2. Many schools have a _______ where lonely students can sit and ask for support and friendship. ❑ a) Friendship bench ❑ b) Companion corner ❑ c) Help club 1. Loneliness is described in this video as a state of mind that a person can experience even when they are around other people. ❑ TRUE or ❑ FALSE 2. Marci’s loneliness may have been rooted in which circumstances? ❑ a) She was divorced. ❑ c) She worked from home ❑ b) She moved to a new province. Loneliness: The New Silent Killer ❑ d) All of the above. curio. ca/newsinreview /6

5. Why might joining the navy alleviate someone’s loneliness? ❑ a) There a lot of other people around you. ❑ b) It involves a lot of physical activity. ❑ c) Everyone has a common purpose and participates in activities together. 6. What does Melvina suggest as a cure for loneliness and depression? ❑ a) Get a pet. ❑ b) Go to a coffee shop. ❑ c) Sing. ❑ d) xxx 7. Companion calls are made by homecare professionals to check up on people who are elderly and live alone. ❑ TRUE or ❑ FALSE 8. Loneliness is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and dementia. ❑ TRUE or ❑ FALSE Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview /7

TALK PROMPTS curio. ca/newsinreview /8

TALK PROMPT #1 Consider pausing the video and giving students the opportunity to talk to an elbow partner for a few minutes or use these questions as part of a class discussion. Pause the video at the break between the segments on children and middle age loneliness, @ 05: 20 1. Do you remember being lonely as a child? 2. What did you do to feel better? 3. Do you think the friendship bench is a good idea? Why or why not? 4. What other idea do you think would help alleviate the loneliness of children? Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview /9

TALK PROMPT #2 Pause the video at the break after the segment on middle age loneliness ● Why do you think middle aged people may be embarrassed or ashamed of admitting they are lonely? TALK PROMPT #3 Play the video through to the end and consider the following questions as a class – 1. Why are elderly people so likely to feel lonely? 2. What can be done to help the elderly feel less lonely? Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 10

AFTER VIEWING Work with a partner and generate a list of songs that deal with loneliness and isolation. Choose a song that you can relate to. ● What can we learn about loneliness from the song you chose? ● Why do you think there are so many popular songs that speak about loneliness? Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 11

Loneliness is the distress that results from discrepancies between ideal and perceived social relationships. – Encyclopedia of Human Relationships

THE STORY Are you lonely? Have you ever been in a room full of people and felt alone? Do you have many important people in your life but you feel really distressed since these relationships are not as good as you would like? If you answer is yes to these questions, you may be lonely. A cognitive state While loneliness can be exacerbated by a lack of social relationships, it is actually a Loneliness: The New Silent Killer cognitive state that is not necessarily synonymous with being alone. Loneliness can be felt acutely for a short duration or it can be a chronic condition. Lack of social relationships One theory of loneliness is that it is linked to a lack of social relationships at school, work and life. People who are in happy relationships report feeling less lonely than single people. People who regularly A cognitive state involves your thought processes and state of mind. curio. ca/newsinreview / 13

participate in social clubs and activities also report feeling a sense of belonging, while those who don’t engage in social activities report feelings of boredom, exclusion and aimlessness. Social skills deficit Another theory argues that loneliness is caused by deficits in a person’s social skills or by their specific behaviour traits. Loneliness is associated with more self-focus (versus focus on others), poor attention Loneliness: The New Silent Killer skills in relationships, a lack of self-disclosure to friends, and low participation in social groups. Loneliness is also associated with shyness, neuroticism and depression. Lonely people can feel more anxious, negative and selfprotective. A negative cycle Loneliness can be a dangerous negative cycle that is difficult to stop. Once loneliness is triggered it generates a defensive form of thinking where even the slightest issue in a social interaction becomes an enormous obstacle. For example, a lonely Rejection sensitivity is the tendency to anxiously or angrily expect rejection from others. Young people who have high rejection sensitivity are more likely to get hostile towards their social partners but are also at risk of internalizing problems including loneliness. curio. ca/newsinreview / 14

person may start a conversation and, after a few minutes, the other person says they have to get going. For the lonely person, they worry that the other person dislikes them and has shunned them, where in reality, they really did have somewhere to go. School life Studies have shown that lonely people are less likely than people who are not Loneliness: The New Silent Killer lonely to seek new friendships. This is a particularly poignant fact when looking at students in school. Lonely students are less responsive to their peers during group discussions. They also held more negative feelings towards their peers than students who didn’t feel lonely. As these studies reveal, when loneliness becomes acute in a person’s life they are trapped in a cycle of negative expectations, interpretations and interactions. The quality not the quantity This begs the question: is the answer to loneliness to get a bunch of friends? Research has shown that it is the quality of human relationships and not the quantity of human interactions that help to combat loneliness. Children who were rejected by their peer group but who had one friend were shown to have far less frequent feelings of loneliness than children who were rejected by their peer group but who did not have a curio. ca/newsinreview / 15

friend. A single quality relationship made all the difference. What can be done to help lonely people? So what can be done to help those who feel lonely? Interventions for loneliness include involving people in social activities and clubs where they can meet people and enjoy things together. The use of companion animals has provided some people with relief from loneliness Loneliness: The New Silent Killer especially when the owner and pet engaged in social activities outside of the house. Using the phone or internet to maintain social connections also seems to provide some relief to feelings of loneliness. Technology works when it is used to connect with other people and not just used as a means to pass the time. Therapy in dealing with the negative self-talk and negative thinking has also been shown to reduce feelings of loneliness. TO CONSIDER What are theories of loneliness and how do they relate to interventions for loneliness? curio. ca/newsinreview / 16

ACTIVITY #1: How to Beat Critical Self-Talk Have you ever stopped yourself from joining a group of people socially because your inner voice said something like, “Why bother, they won’t like me anyway? ” Your critical inner voice It seems that a critical inner voice, a type of cognitive distortion, may cause lonely feelings. Some therapists promote a self-help method which involves listening to your critical inner voice and substituting a positive inner voice. This may sound simple to do but it is not easy if you are in the habit of negative or critical self-talk. Often, we are unaware of the volume of critical thoughts that are swirling around our minds. Loneliness: The New Silent Killer These thoughts often damage our confidence and discourage us from relating well to other people. The problem is, when we give in to these critical voices, they grow louder and stronger. Dealing with negative self-talk In order to counteract your inner critic, you have to seek social connections. This may seem like a daunting task considering what your inner voice may have taught you. Some therapists recommend baby steps: start small be doing something like going for a walk and smiling at curio. ca/newsinreview / 17

the people you see, engage in positive social media communications with your friends, ask a classmate about themselves or meet up with a friend for an outing. A study from 2014 revealed that even minor social interactions with acquaintances contribute to your well-being. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Another important step is to learn about and try the techniques found to help counter negative self-talk through approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you gain enough internal distance from your own thought processes that you can challenge them. CBT asks you to develop a new habit of testing the validity of your own thoughts or challenging the significance of the negative outcomes you fear. Loneliness: The New Silent Killer For example, if your inner voice says, “I’m not going to join that club. I’m so awkward people will just think I’m weird and they will all shun me, ” CBT would ask you to challenge your beliefs. Are you so awkward that everyone will shun you? By thinking logically of all the times you have been with other people, you will realize that, by and large, they have not shunned you. The second step would be to consider your worst fear: that all people will shun you. Perhaps some of the people you meet may not like you or warm up to you. However, even meeting one or two people you can talk to, proves that you are not being shunned. curio. ca/newsinreview / 18

TASK: Use the chart on the following page to help you to identify your critical inner voice and try to use CBT techniques to increase your wellbeing and rational thinking. List two examples (similar to the sample below) and work with a partner to debrief. Set yourself a goal to deal with critical self-talk. Critical self-talk “Don’t put yourself out there. You’ll only be rejected. ” Loneliness: The New Silent Killer Feelings Anxious, worried, tense, pessimistic What is an alternative, rational response? “I have a few close friends who really get me. If I get rejected by some people, it’s not the end of the world but I might just make a new friend. ” curio. ca/newsinreview / 19

Critical self-talk Feelings What is an alternative, rational response? 1 2 MY GOAL: Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 20

ACTIVITY #2: Comparing Advice 1. What do you do when you feel lonely? 2. On the following pages are three excerpts of advice given by therapists regarding what to do when you feel lonely. a. Which advice resonates the most with you? Why? b. Which advice would be the most difficult for you to implement? Why? Excerpts retrieved from: Romm, Cari. (May 2018) Advice from therapists on what to do when you feel lonely. The Cut. Retrieved from: www. thecut. com/2018/05/advice-from-therapists-on-what-to-do-when-you-feel-lonely. html Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 21

Get comfortable with your own company. A lot of people crave company — almost anyone’s company — because they fear the ‘void’ and discomfort when they are alone. But getting together with others as a desperate attempt to not be in one’s company will just leave you feeling lonelier. So instead, learn to enjoy your own company. Some good ways to start: meditation class, take yourself to a movie, reading, watch TED Talks or other things that will make you think, start a gratitude journal. – Sherry Amatenstein, licensed clinical social worker I suggest people embrace who they are. Introverts often see their social style as a negative. When they compare themselves to extroverts, they feel insecure and unworthy. Introverts don’t have to have a large group of friends who want to go out all the time. Be true to yourself. You can have a smaller group of friends, enjoy your alone time, and still be far from lonely. I also encourage people to pursue interests, not people. Get involved in a personal interest and that can put you in touch with like-minded people. Create a meetup. com account, take a continuing education class at your local university or community college, become a volunteer. This often feels much less intimidating than feeling you have to go out and meet new people. – Jim Seibold, licensed marriage and family therapist Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 22

First, identify why you’re lonely. People are often told to cope with loneliness by engaging in a social activity, but this isn’t always wise advice. In order to truly cope with loneliness, one must understand why they’re feeling lonely. If you’re lonely because your relationships lack depth/meaning, or you feel like people, including friends, don’t really know you, it might make sense to examine what’s getting in the way of building intimacy. Are you afraid of being vulnerable with others? Is it difficult to move beyond small-talk in social situations? Once you identify the reason that you’re feeling lonely, you can learn how to remedy it. For example, try moving beyond small talk in your day-to-day conversations. Instead of asking a co-worker or friend about their weekend plans, ask a more personal question, like “What’s one thing that I don’t know about you? ” or “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? ” These types of questions can foster human connection. – Juli Fraga, clinical psychologist DID YOU KNOW? Loneliness can actually make you feel colder. Studies found that recalling a time in which we felt lonely made participants estimate the room temperature as being significantly colder. It even made their actual skin temperature drop. Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 23

SOURCES Firestone, Lisa. (December 7, 2018). “How to fight the loneliness epidemic. ” Psychology Today. Retrieved from: www. psychologytoday. com/ca/blog/compassion-matters/201812/how-fight-the-loneliness-epidemic Reis, Harry T. and Susan Sprecher. (March 2009). Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. Gage Publications. Romm, Cari. (May 3, 2018). “Advice from therapists on what to do when you feel lonely. The Cut. ” Retrieved from: www. thecut. com/2018/05/advice-from-therapists-on-what-to-do-when-you-feel-lonely. html Soeiro, Loren. (October 25, 2018). “Instant CBT — the simplest way to challenge negative thoughts. ” Psychology Today. Retrieved from: www. psychologytoday. com/ca/blog/i-hear-you/201810/instant-cbt-the-simplest-way-challenge-negative-thoughts Loneliness: The New Silent Killer curio. ca/newsinreview / 24