Val Walker MS 
As a socially anxious introvert, I can attest to the benefits of serving others through volunteering in my community. A volunteer job doesn’t need to require stepping into a busy … Read more
I’ve learned the hard way as a helping professional that we can try too hard to help—and our words can backfire. Communicating our point of view with the goal of … Read more
When someone we trust suddenly disappears with no contact, it leaves us shocked and dismayed. It can deeply hurt us and discourage us from trusting others or reaching out. Ghosting, … Read more
Even before COVID-19, it took courage and initiative to break out of isolation and rebuild our support networks. We may have already been strapped in isolating situations such as illness, … Read more
In the past few years, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness became recognized by healthcare providers as a public health crisis in the US and United Kingdom. Organizations sprang up … Read more
In the midst of this lonely pandemic, many artists and writers like me are feeling a lack of appreciation for our effort and accomplishments. Most of us have faced great … Read more
We know it’s normal to feel lonely off and on–especially in isolating times during the COVID-19 pandemic—but too often we are hard on ourselves when we face loneliness. We might … Read more
As a rehabilitation consultant for twenty years, I’ve helped clients name and claim the ways they build social support. Though we are all different in how we meet our social … Read more
I’ve wondered how many people have “shied away” or almost given up having heart-to-heart conversations with loved ones, let alone friends. Long, deep conversations seem to be disappearing from our … Read more