Video by drjulie

I'm a psychologist and here are four hidden signs of loneliness and what to do about it. Number one, something good happens and you realise there's no one you would text first. We think loneliness is about the hard days, but sometimes it hits hardest when something wonderful happens and you've got nobody to share it with. Number two, you stay relentlessly busy.

There's another task, another project, always, and it looks like drive or ambition, but it's a very effective way of making sure you never sit still long enough to feel how lonely you are. And number three, tiny things land way harder than they should. A text left unread, a group photo you weren't in, finding out they all met up without you. Things you'd normally shrug off suddenly sting

because they're landing on a need to belong that's already raw. Number four, you feel every silence. The TV on in the background for company, a podcast on when you're getting ready, your phone in your hand the second it all goes quiet. Not because you love the noise, but because silence is where the loneliness gets really loud. And here's the important bit. Loneliness isn't a disorder. It's

a signal, like hunger. Your mind telling you that you need more genuine connection. See the caption for more.