Social Isolation and Second Life – Camury Reporting

Like other computer games, Second Life is a technological tool that has a great popular appeal with entertainment,  participating in educational activities and it is actually helpful in getting people to interact with each others.

Second Life allow thousands of users to coexist while taking part in a social activities  in a virtual space. People from different parts of the world enjoy SL through their own avatar's eyes. The virtual environment allows any kind of interactions between people who are unlikely or unable to do it in real life, in any form such as competition, cooperation or collaboration.

People communicate and establish social contacts and create relationship networks which end up in certain social behaviors.

There are many studies demonstrating that an excessive use of online games lead to  psychological problems. People with psycho-pathological disorders, depression, social anxiety and  chemical substances addictions are more likely to keep improper and abusive behavior in online interactions by forgetting their own real life and isolating themselves socially.

Social isolation is a devastating condition of the human psyche, since the human being is a social being. In some cases, when not caring enough, social isolation can cause illness or even death, because the individual cannot take care of himself . Some people who are socially isolated, are also unable to leave their homes to buy groceries or carrying out a paid activity which guarantees a solid subsistence.

It is a phenomenon often observed among older people with physical problems or low mobility.  But it can also be observed in populations of large cities with other age ranges and social groups. However, there are people who believe that online interactions can help those who are socially isolated and feel that social engagement offered by an online environment can encourage people to make small social contacts in their real lives. 

The question is: Does online social networking gives us the same support and happiness as an offline relationship? Personally, I think not, but virtual communication and online interactions that Second life makes possible, can indeed make some people happier as well as encourage them in their social relationships in real life.

Some people have difficulties when it comes to starting social relationships, they may prefer interactions on their computer instead of a face to face communication.  Anonymity and the absence of non-verbal communication makes contact seem less threatening. Plus, online interactions can be useful as an experience, helping some people feel more confident and secure in their future social relationships in real life.

My own conclusion is that people who keep an offline active social life are less likely to feel lonely, even if they are "addicted" to the Internet. It’s all about how we use the internet.

There is a need to maintain a balance between our real life and the imaginary world to which we dive in every time we log in Second Life. SL is a virtual world with endless possibilities. Not just for social entertainment but also for business.

 Does social engagement offered by an online environment help those who might be socially isolated or does SL make it worse?  Please leave a comment below.

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Meditation vs Anxiety and Depression- Interview with Linda Lauren- Debby Sharma Reporting…

Image borrowed from placeofpersistence.com

Love- betrayal, work- stress, need- want and others like, anger, depression, loneliness etc. have tied us today to a bond when happiness seems scarce, peace is rare, love is a miracle and we are all haunted by fear of the unknown.

Anxiety is a “feeling of worry, nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome”. Depression is “feelings of severe despondency and rejection”.

People feel anxiety or depression when they lost a loved one, got fired from a job, divorced or experienced other major life changing issues. This is a natural human reaction. But some people feel depression or anxiety almost every day of their life for no apparent reason, leaving them with difficulty to carry out day to day activities of a normal life.

A phase in life when a person feels hopeless, sad, unmotivated etc; But if this phase continues more than 2 weeks affecting their daily lives, it is a major depression, but a treatable illness.

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “At any point in time, 3% to 5% of people suffer from major depression, the lifetime risk is about 17% ” Depression and anxiety disorders are not the same. However, people with depression disorder may show symptoms of anxiety disorders like nervousness, irritability, problems sleeping and concentration. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, “Many people who develop depression have a history of an anxiety disorder earlier in life. There is no evidence one disorder causes the other, but there is clear evidence that many people suffer from both disorders.”

Meditation is a state of deep peace with oneself; a mind aware of their surroundings and peace within itself; a state free from agitation; It is difficult and very rarely possible to not think anything at any point of time. Hence, a time when you are listening to the sounds of nature and listening to your soul, you are at peace.

Like a computer system which needs to be shut down after processes, so does our mind. This article on how meditation affects your brain is scientifically proven. 

Resource: https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-meditation-affects-your-brain

Resource: https://outwittrade.com/meditation-benefits-and-stories

Using the MRI scans, scientists are able to understand the activities of the brain before and after meditation. The Beta waves  show reduced frequencies after meditation of 20 minutes.

Photography Credits: Linda Lauren

Linda Lauren, is a 4th Generation Psychic Medium who owns and operates Linda Lauren’s Embracing The Universe in Mountainside, NJ. She has been a professional psychic since consulting with law enforcement in a murder investigation dating back to 1978. She is also a Color and Energy Consultant. She has been featured in various journals, magazines, TV shows like Buzzfeed.com, CNN, ABC-TV Nightline, Fox and Friends, Vice.com, The Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough on NBC New York, HuffPost Live, Better TV, WPIX, Open House NYC, in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, People Pets, A&U magazine, The Daily News, Hamptons magazine, The Star Ledger, and the Chicago Tribune. It was a privilege to know her and ask her a few questions. Here are her answers to the secrets of meditation.

Debby Sharma: What is meditation? How and why is it done? Does meditation mean to concentrate on one object (focused attention), or not to think at all or to let the emotions flow?

Linda Lauren: Meditation refers to a variety of practices that includes techniques to promote relaxation and healing so that one can deal with life and unhealthy stress.  It allows us to respond with reason, rather than react with emotion. Meditation is the simple act of slowly breathing in and out with your own body rhythm. People meditate for the purpose of quieting the mind so that one can think more clearly from a relaxed place. There are two types of meditation: active and passive.  In active you are listening to a certain sound or focusing on an issue or an object. In passive meditation you are allowing things to just come to you while you sit and breathe in silence.

Debby Sharma: What are the common problems that people come to you in Second Life for help or for counseling? Are these much different from the real life? Could you please share the percentage of people coming to you for help in anxiety or depression?

Linda Lauren: Many people come for a session with me in Second Life because they have lost a loved one and are trying to deal with life without that person.  Grief is the number one issue that I help people with in SL and that is not much different than in real life. I would say that perhaps 55% come for anxiety or depression.

Debby Sharma: What do you think causes such problems?

Linda Lauren: The everyday stress of life, such as work, relationships, world news, etc. may cause depression and anxiety.

Debby Sharma: What are the other problems that can be cured via meditation other than anxiety and depression?

Linda Lauren: There are a host of other issues that meditation can assist with and these are just a few: it lowers blood pressure, add more hours to your day, increase your attention, control anger, reduces aging and can help you get a good night’s sleep.

Debby Sharma: What is the difference between meditation and self-hypnotism? Is there any possibility that one may move from meditation to self-hypnotism? If that happens, how can one keep oneself under check?

Linda Lauren: Meditation is used to quiet the mind. Hypnosis is used to program the mind. Both meditation and hypnosis use similar relaxation techniques to achieve the relaxation response.  Self-hypnosis is not necessarily done without a hypnotherapist’s assistance, even though a person is going to practice it eventually alone.  There should always be a guide to assist in hypnotherapy.  Meditation, the guidance is more universal and can be taught and guided but then you can continue on your own.  In many ways, meditation is done more via the self than hypnotherapy.

Photography Credits: Linda Lauren

Debby Sharma: Can relaxing and exploring in Second Life or other virtual worlds help people in almost the same manner as meditation?

Linda Lauren: At this time, I do not promote other worlds, only the virtual world of Second Life. There is nothing out there that is better in terms of community.  That said, yes, relaxing and exploring in Second life does help.

Debby Sharma: What do you think was the reason for the development of the process of mediation ages ago? How much importance do you think does it play today? In our busy life, when we all are running for the Golden cup, how do you suggest one must try to be stress free?

Linda Lauren: These questions would require too much of an in-depth answer to be able to shorten it.  So I will say this: Meditation is the key to a happy, productive, relaxed life that helps us to enjoy our relationships, our work and our day to day travels.  I would suggest that if you are serious about those things, then meditate to open your day and meditate to close it.  Twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes at night is all you need to sustain a well-balanced persona of spirit. 

About Linda Lauren:

WEB SITE: http://LindaLauren.com

FB PAGES:
https://www.facebook.com/EmbracingTheMetaverse/
http://www.facebook.com/LindaLauren

SECOND LIFE URL FOR ETU ABBRRACCIARE – Landmark: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Etu%20Abbracciare/121/96/43

Reference links:

Anxiety and Depression Association of America: http://www.adaa.org/

https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-meditation-affects-your-brain

Please Note:

*The information expressed in this article are opinions only and not professional medical advice. If you think you are suffering from depression or anxiety there are resources available that can help you. Speak to your doctor or reach out to your local church for available resources in your area. You are not alone.

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Depression Part 5: How Second Life gave me a Second chance ©- Talking to Ian- Orchids Reports…

Orchids: Hallo Ian, Thank you for talking to SLE. You have an active interest in helping people who have depression. We understand this has been a very personal fight for you. Can you tell us about your struggle?

Ian: First I want to say that I have been through depression myself. I lost everything, my marriage, my dream home, my job, my life savings, and very nearly my life through severe clinical depression. One of the problems of trying to help someone overcome depression is that we often don't realize what is happening to us. The average person has no frame of reference to understand exactly why they are feeling so bad, what often makes things worse is that people around them don't always understand how to support someone with depression.

The stories of depression are heart-rending. Each is as unique as the individuals concerned, it is an incredibly personalized experience.

Of course, some people are not around to give us their story, and that is perhaps the most tragic loss of all.

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Depression And Suicide In SL Part 4 - Road to Recovery – Talking to Voice Restless © - Orchids Reports…

        Talking to the Two sides of … the Same Voice. Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other…

-Princess Zelda

There are two sides to all of us. We let the world see one side and one we don’t. Even the most open and honest one definitely has something … yes … something that you do not let the world see. You don’t lie but you do hide. The one who treats us, the physician, is also fallible. The person who rises out of those fallacies and sets out to help and the others, is one who has understood the true meaning of life. This is for all of you there who are doing so.

Professional Voice:

Orchids: Voice Restless in RL…

Voice: I'm a Clinical Neuropsychologist in training, hoping to get my degree somewhere in the coming year. I have always been fascinated by what is 'normal' and what is considered to be a 'psychiatric disorder', Where do you draw the line, when approximately 80% of the population comes into contact with a psychiatrist at least once in their lives? When are psychological problems 'normal' and when are they 'clinical'? And, more importantly, how can you help people when they suffer from psychological problems?

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Depression And Suicide In SL Part 3- Avoid The Final Solution To A Temporary Problem - Interview with Krissy Sinclair - Orchids Reports…

To be, or not to be: that is the question:-

-William Shakespeare

Second life is a place which surprises me on a daily basis with wondrous Avis doing work that amaze with the resourcefulness. Depression and its sinister companion Suicide is one issue which is difficult to deal with. We had a look at the groups in SL in part 1 of the series. The Survivors of Suicide stood out with its unpretentiousness and honesty.

“This is a group for those whose life has been impacted by depression, suicide, attempted suicide themself or have lost someone to suicide. We must break the silence on this epidemic. We offer real life and second life support, education and info. We offer RL resources for recovery and healing.”

I found folks who are fighting a tough battle to overcome their own personal challenges and helping others on the way.

The best fights are the ones fought against the challenges within ourselves.

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Depression In Second Life Part 2 - Interview with Lanai Jarrico - Orchids Zenovka Reporting…

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

-          “The Prophet” Kahlil Gibran

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DEPRESSION IN SL, PART 1: How do you reach out for help or help others overcome emotional issues- Orchids Zenovka Reports

SONNET 29 When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries And look upon myself and curse my fate, Wishing me like to one more rich in hope, Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd, Desiring this man's art and that man's scope, With what I most enjoy contented least; Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising, Haply I think on thee, and then my state, Like to the lark at break of day arising From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate; For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

PARAPHRASE When I’ve fallen out of favor with fortune and men, All alone I weep over my position as a social outcast, And pray to heaven, but my cries go unheard, And I look at myself, cursing my fate, Wishing I were like one who had more hope, Wishing I looked like him; wishing I were surrounded by friends, Wishing I had this man's skill and that man's freedom. I am least contented with what I used to enjoy most. But, with these thoughts – almost despising myself, I, by chance, think of you and then my melancholy Like the lark at the break of day, rises From the dark earth and (I) sing hymns to heaven; For thinking of your love brings such happiness That then I would not change my position in life with kings.

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SOS News: Are you Suffering with Depression? Let's talk.

Discussion Times:
 Sundays @ Noon SLT and  Thursdays @ 5pm SLT

 It time once again for our peer to peer support group for depression, stress, anxiety, etc.  Come share your thoughts or concerns in a friendly, non-judgmental atmosphere.   Even learn some meditation methods for dealing with issues.

What is said in the group stays in the group.

Help Contacts
Krissy Sinclair
Roxy Raven Moon Knightfrost
Arwen Spiritweaver

TELEPORT

*Please note that the information shared on the SL Enquirer and in this post are thoughts and opinions of Second Life residents and do not claim to be nor should be taken as professional help. If you think that you may be depressed or feeling suicidal, professional help is need. You can reach out to your doctor or local church for resources that can help in your recovery process.

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