Randwick News

It’s time to spring into action and join in on all of the awesome eco-activities on offer this September!

The hero event will be Eco Living on Sunday 10 September at the Randwick Sustainability Hub. There will be free hands-on workshops and speaker series, featuring Craig Reucassel from ABC’s War on Waste. Check out Council’s website for registration details.

We’ll also be offering some awesome eco prizes, including an e-bike, an eco-getaway for two, a fresh produce box subscription and more! You have to be in it to win it – so I look forward to seeing the lucky winners take home their prizes on the day. Everyone is encouraged to walk, ride, catch public transport or make use of our free shuttle bus services to attend our signature sustainability event. There is no parking onsite this year.

Celebrate National Biodiversity Month with us and take part in our Plant With Us event on Friday 1 September. Get your hands dirty at Maroubra’s Heffron Park and make our City a little greener! We had an awesome time at our July event, with over 100 people coming along to plant 800 native plants.

Another way you can get more involved with sustainability is to become a bushcare volunteer! Join one of our bushcare groups and take part in our wonderful bush regeneration program. We have numerous dates and locations on offer each week in September, including Gordons Bay, Randwick Environment Park, Malabar Wetland and more! Find out more on Council’s website.

Lastly, the spring edition of SCENE is out now! It’s blooming with good news so I hope you all take the time to give it a read. Look out for it in your mailbox.

What’s On

FRIDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

PLANT WITH US

8.30am-10.30am

11am-1pm

Heffron Park, Maroubra

SATURDAY 2 SEPTEMBER

LET’S CHAT: MEET YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLOR

10am-12pm

Two locations:

1. Cnr Clovelly Rd and Mount St, Randwick

2. Randwick Community Centre

WEDNESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

POP-UP COMMUNITY SUPPORT HUB

11am-1pm

Lionel Bowen Library

FRIDAY 8 SEPTEMBER TABLE TENNIS TOURNAMENT

1-3pm

Lionel Bowen Library

FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER

PERMABEE COMMUNITY GARDENING PROGRAM

9am-12.30pm

Randwick Sustainability Hub

THURSDAY 21 SEPTEMBER

STORYTOWN (3-5Y)

10.30am-11am

Malabar Community Library

1300 722 542 randwick.nsw.gov.au

One is Not the Loneliest Number

It’s hard to imagine that, in a world of over eight billion people, anyone can feel lonely. However, it appears that we are currently in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. According to a 2021 survey, about 50 per cent of adults reported having fewer than three friends. Compare this to the same survey done in 1990 and those with three or less friends was only around 27 per cent. Even more alarming is the drop in time spent face-to-face with friends amongst adolescents and young adults, which has fallen a whopping 70 per cent from just twenty years ago.

But what does this ‘loneliness epidemic’ actually mean?

In a basic sense, loneliness is a feeling of being isolated, that you’re not able to connect to another person, people or indeed the community. We know that loneliness leads to poorer health outcomes and diminished life expectancy, and it’s linked to a decrease in mental well-being and associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem and sleep problems. From a physical standpoint, there is some suggestion that it’s also linked to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Like many mental health concerns, loneliness can work in a bit of a loop - ‘my mental health has made me lonely, feeling lonely has damaged my mental health...’ - and can have a cyclonic effect, ramping up as one feeds the other.

I need to stress that loneliness is a feeling, which doesn’t make it a fact. It’s a hard call, but in no way does this suggest feeling lonely is not a valid emotion. The idea that feelings are not facts can be hard to break down, but it is a common theme with what may affect our mood. As a basic example, if you are feeling hot from sitting in the sun it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a hot day, or if someone is angry at you it doesn’t always mean you are a bad person. In real terms, we process an event by thinking about it, which in turn affects how we feel and ultimately how we behave. So, it is our thinking we need to look at.

Self-esteem and the need for approval can play a big role in feeling lonely. If someone doesn’t approve of who you are or what you are doing it can wreak havoc on self-esteem, especially if you’re already a bit fragile and feeling isolated. You might start questioning yourself and your self-worth, leading you to feel bad. The reality is, if someone disapproves of you, there’s a good chance that it’s their problem rather than yours. Disapproval often reflects other people’s irrational beliefs, not yours - if someone doesn’t like your new hair cut, whose problem is it?

The same approach can be used if we are feeling lonely. Boosting your own self-worth and self-respect is the key and a good pathway to independence. This is hard to do at first, but if we are looking for approval from others to feel good, we should ask ourselves why. Being dependent on others is a trap, and often we cling to dependency because we think that if we do achieve independence then others may see us as a rejecting person and we end up being alone. Again, this fear is an emotion, which does not make it a fact. The combination of being lonely and dependent can lead you to anger and resentment, both of which stem from the notion you feel deprived of the love or friendship you believe you are entitled to receive from others. This belief has the capacity to drive you into further isolation. The truth is, the more independent you are, the more secure you’ll be in your feelings. By loving ourselves first, we give ourselves the opportunity for greater independence, allowing a far more dependable and continuous source of self-esteem.

There is a difference between loneliness and being alone. Learning to be comfortable with being alone is the first step, which is easier said than done if you are feeling down. It might feel unrealistic at first, but the more we can get comfortable within ourselves the better chance we have in keeping loneliness at bay. Give yourself permission to love yourself, learn to be comfortable with it and you will be well on your way.

Jeremy Ireland is a local psychotherapist. Have you got a question? You can get in touch with Jeremy by calling 0400 420 042.