No man is an island unto himself

English poet John Donne, in the 17th century penned the famous poem, No man is an island that compares people to countries and arguing for the interconnectedness of all people. Even after 400 years of its inception, you can see how it still resonates with the people of the modern world. This poem reflects the truth that no man can truly succeed when isolated from others; we depend on another. There’s no culture, place or race on the earth that can survive independently. It takes the sum of all to make up the human race.

The ‘bullets’ in the Bullet Journal refer to the various symbols that we will be allotting for each kind of detail that we jot down in the journal. For instance, symbols of the following kind are commonly used, >, @, », Δ, ※ where each symbols denotes a particular activity based on the priority and nature of the activity. There are not any restrictions choosing the symbols and it is entirely up to the individual to choose them as per his/ her convenience.

Most of the bullet journals start with an index page that gives us a brief list of what we will be looking at, in the following pages, thus making our search easier. The index page is divided into various columns such as serial number, title, remarks and page number. The index page also extends its purpose by providing space for the key or legend. The ‘key’ for the journal lists down all the symbols in the journal and tell us what each of those ‘bullets’ mean.

But, even though the world’s population is creeping upwards to 8 billion people, many of us have never felt as alone.

Social media has made us more connected than ever before and yet we somehow feel more isolated. We can reconnect with old classmates or make new friends on social media, yet we feel that we have less intimate connections than the generation before us. Research suggests that we are also spending more time working than we have in previous decades which means that at any given point of time we are either surrounded by family and friends or colleagues at work.

All those extra hours spent with other people at work should help us make more connected, right?

Well, the statistics indicate the opposite. According to an online survey of 55,000 people from around the world, called the BBC Loneliness Experiment found that levels of loneliness were actually highest among 16-24 year-olds, with 40% saying that they often feel very lonely. “ Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need - crucial to both well-being and survival ” says psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad from Brigham Young University.

What should we do about it?

One of the ways I personally dealt with social isolation and loneliness is expressive writing. The convenience and power of writing offer an important health opportunity. Don’t take it from me, Jeremy Noble, who is a doctor, public health practitioner and many other health professionals like him say: when people write about what’s in their hearts and minds, they feel better and get healthier.I have found that the mere act of putting personal feelings or emotions on paper allowed me to discover a means of organizing and understanding my own experiences and thoughts. It also helps with demystifying fears and reducing anxiety. Writing lets you deal with your past, present and your future all at the same time.

In fact, writing has a lot of benefits for pretty much anyone, distressed or well. It allows for the deep exploration of your own feelings and makes sense of the world. And if keep at it, writing can even be fun.

Takeaway

As a writer, I’ve personally experienced the benefits of regular expressive writing. Putting your thoughts in a creative form not only lets you connect with yourself, sharing this creativity with other people bridges the social gap you’ve been feeling. I’d like more people to discover that expressive writing can contribute to well-being, just as exercise and eating healthy does So pick up a pen, and start to write creatively or if you are a technology lover like me, use Reverie for all your writing needs.