Invisible loneliness – how to break the cycle podcast with Jo Carnegie and Radio Gorgeous

Loneliness can affect people at all ages and it's surprisingly common in our society. One in three of us are embarrassed to admit that we feel lonely and it can make us feel as though we don't fit in.

In the latest podcast from Radio Gorgeous, Jo Carnegie and Josephine Pembroke talk about the lives of those affected by invisible loneliness.

As a freelance journalist, Jo spends a lot of time alone as she works from home. When she was ordering a coffee during a recent visit to a cafe, she realised that it was the first time she'd spoken to someone in three or four days.

"I suddenly had this realisation: I'm like this old person who goes into shops to have human interaction. It was a really quite shocking, unsettling moment for me.

"I think if I said to people I'm actually quite lonely, even people that know me quite well would be really quite shocked."

Jo found that she'd gradually become more lonely and began to think about how invisible loneliness affects our society. She thinks that social media played a big part in how she became lonely – instead of speaking in person, we're turning to texts, Facebook and Twitter to connect with each other.

"Before you know it, you are relying more and more on no face-to-face interactions," Jo says.

Find out more about invisible loneliness and how to cope with it by listening to the podcast on radiogorgeous.com or on Apple podcasts.