The Lonely Skies: Pilots, Connection and Loneliness Awareness Week
The Marmalade Trust created Loneliness Awareness Week in 2017 as an annual event to improve awareness of, and reduce the impact of, loneliness – sometimes called "the modern epidemic".
If you've looked around my website before, you'll know that I think of social connection as one of the fundamental pillars of good health, both mental and physical. The Marmalade Trust website has a wealth of information and practical suggestions and their Connection Guide is well worth a read.
Pilots face some unusual challenges when it comes to maintaining social connection. Shift work, time away from home, commuting, fatigue and spending nights in anonymous hotels can all make it harder than we'd like.
So, borrowing from some of the Marmalade Trust's ideas and adapting them for aviation, here's a simple challenge.
🎲 Roll a dice and try one
1. Protect your relationships from the roster
Pilots and cabin crew often find themselves at work when the people they care about have time to connect and nurture relationships. When your roster comes out, make sure you deliberately create small opportunities to stay connected. That could be a coffee date, a walk, a quick phone call or even just a reminder to WhatsApp somebody "Happy Birthday".
2. Don't eat alone
At home, put the phone away and have a conversation at mealtimes. If you live alone, invite a friend for something simple. If you're downroute, invite a friendly colleague for breakfast or supper.
3. Send that message
Plan ahead to manage time differences and work schedules to keep in touch with loved ones if you're away from home. If you have a few days off, send that message to somebody you've lost touch with. Most people are pleased to hear from an old friend.
4. Move with someone
Downroute, invite a colleague to join you for a wander around the city or a trip to the gym. At home, make the effort to get to the five-a-side game, swimming session, parkrun or local group walk. Movement and connection are a powerful combination.
5. Be the one who suggests it
Pilots are often waiting for somebody else to organise the coffee, the meal, the catch-up or the family gathering. This week, be the one who makes the suggestion. Invite somebody for breakfast downroute, organise a dog walk, suggest a pub lunch or arrange a video call. Connection often starts with somebody taking the first step.
6. Say yes
Fatigue is real and sometimes the answer genuinely should be no. But sometimes we decline opportunities for connection out of habit rather than necessity. If a friend suggests coffee, a colleague suggests breakfast or your family invite you to something this week, consider saying yes.
Loneliness is a normal human experience, not a personal failing. If you roll a number that doesn't fit today, roll again.
The aim isn't perfection.
It's connection.