Here Back East

The Antidote to Loneliness

Lenny Ackerman

February 18, 2026

A recent conversation with a friend evolved into a discussion about loneliness and how difficult it can be, as an adult, to make new friends and social connections. Reportedly, a large portion of our population claims to feel lonely or isolated all or most of the time, and the recent pandemic made it much worse. Many people are still suffering not just the physical effects of long Covid, but the emotional ones of lost friendships and missed opportunities to socialize. My friend lives in a high-rise condominium in South Florida and was deeply affected by the separation imposed by the quarantine. When they were lifted, she decided to make a supreme effort to reconnect with people and ideally make some new friendships that would last the Palm Beach winter season and beyond. She began attending a monthly dinner put on by her building, one which all residents are encouraged to attend as a chance to get to know their neighbors. She was delighted to find some long-lost, pre-pandemic friends at the dinners and went out of her way to say hello to unfamiliar faces. She is an outgoing person and easy to talk to, but she still had to be persistent in following up with people to make sure the connections would deepen and last. It has paid off for her. In the last couple of years, she has embarked on several summer adventures to Europe and Asia with her new social group. And there is a trail of budding friendships in the wake of each of these trips. Encouraged by her past successes, she goes out of her way to develop new acquaintances abroad, making a point of staying in touch, always expanding her network.

Ultimately, she feels very fortunate that she lives in a building where her neighbors are also her friends. The incentive to keep them close is simply a happier, more fulfilling life, with the word “loneliness” no longer in the vocabulary when it comes to describing it.

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