Welcome back to another scene.
Once again, we find ourselves in Järvenpää Beach Park.
The park is currently deserted because it’s half 2 at night.
A sort of haze seems to be hanging about as well.
While we make a little walk, i want to talk a little bit about living a life of solitude in Finland.

Finland is a country of lonely people, there are more than 1.25 million people living alone.
Among them more than 1 million are over 30 years old.
That’s almost 23% of the total population. (5.5 million)
Over the past five years, the number of people living alone has increased every year in nearly all age groups.
While the number of unmarried people has increased, the marriage rates and the number of children per household have decreased.

In Southern Europe, for example, relatives are very close. In Finland, family bonds are weak and people tend to seek help from friends. Those who have no friends are left out.
Loneliness is a very Finnish theme. It’s not just about the darkness.
There are few places in the world where you can be as totally alone as in the Finnish countryside in winter time.

Is loneliness a bad thing?
Loneliness can be as beautiful as its haunting, as liberating as its wistful.
Some people are happy on their own. Everyone is different about their ‘me’ time.
You may need more time on your own to recharge.
But if you stay on your own too much. You may feel isolated, misunderstood, and depressed. It can take a physical toll, too.

Negatives effects of feeling lonely:

• If you’re lonely for a long time, it may to make it harder for your body to fight sickness and stress.
• Your blood pressure is more likely to go up as well.
• You’re more likely to cut back on or stop your workouts.
• You’re more likely to gain weight.
• Your ability to solve problems or remember things as you age is likely to be affected, risking a greater chance of a brain disease like Alzheimer’s.
• The more lonely you’ve been over your life, the more likely you are to have conditions that affect your heart health.
• Depression, you may start to feel bad about your life and get depressed, which increases isolation even further.
• Sleep deprivation, which will make it harder to focus during the day and put you in a bad mood.

How to overcome loneliness?
Don’t let it absorb you from the inside, try to connect with people, talk about it.
Try to take care of yourself, daily exercise, good sleep and eating can boost your mood.
1 step at a time, day by day.

Thank you for watching and being here with me (at least virtually).
It’s a way for me to try and connect as well.
Have a great day and i hope to continue our talk in the next scene.