Articles & Insights into the world of handwriting.

Loneliness and Isolation in Handwriting

Social distancing

Loneliness in handwriting

Who would have thought that  loneliness would become one of the biggest causes of stress in this day and age!

The world’s population is growing exponentially but we are feeling lonelier and more isolated than ever.

Thinking back, life was a lot less complicated before Covid. But even though life seemed simpler then, loneliness has always been a cause of stress in one way or another.

Of course, enforced social isolation added a stark dimension to an already fraught situation.

The Effects of Social Isolation

The effects of loneliness and isolation are many. Anxiety, low mood, stress, fear, frustration, and boredom are just some of the fallout.

In fact, the social isolation that we had to endure as a result of Covid created an epidemic of loneliness. And who knows what fallout there will be from this social isolation in years to come?

Isolation among the elderly is particularly trying. Without the company of family and friends the days and nights become lonely and empty when seniors have little to focus on besides their infirmities and ailments.

Even children become truculent and testy when they cannot attend school or play with their friends.

Repeated lockdowns restricted our mobility and weakened our social connections to such an extent that they led to a loss of employment and a serious loss of income.

Meanwhile, the ever-looming fear of contagion led to real anxiety as many still worry about the possibility of not being able to access the basics such as medicines, food, or water.

These are real fears that leave their traces in some of the most unlikely places. And so we see that these debilitating fears associated with loneliness can even be found in handwriting.

Signs of loneliness in handwriting

So is it really possible to see signs of loneliness in handwriting?

To answer the question let’s take a look at two handwriting samples.

Here is the handwriting of an individual who has always felt alienated and even isolated from society. The wide spaces between the words and lines show that he suffers from intermittent bouts of loneliness.

Each word seems to stand on an island of its own. There is no connection between them. The feeling of loneliness is almost palpable.

Loneliness

Here is another sample with similar spacing:

loneliness in handwriting

 

The impression of loneliness here is emphasised by the fact that this writer is clearly introverted which makes any attempts at socializing a challenge.

The small size of the letters and the intermittent leftward slant, the wide spaces between words and lines as well as the short, truncated lower zone all add to a picture of self-containment and insularity.

Furthermore, there is that dark pressure which points to a person who has deep feelings so he will find his isolation frustrating and even more difficult to endure.

How to cope with loneliness

There is no easy route to dealing with loneliness though it does help to know that there are many other people out there who feel the same.

Here are some tried and trusted suggestions that can help. And if you happen to acquire a new craft in the process or gain expertise in a new field that you have always fancied – so much the better.

10 fun things to do that can beat loneliness

This unprecedented time of social isolation during Covid actually provided us with opportunities to develop new skills or crafts that we would never have attempted under ordinary circumstances.

So here are some suggestions:

  • Take up a new hobby.
  • Create something. Sketch. Paint. Knit. Embroider. Or try woodcarving.
  • Take an online course in writing or calligraphy or graphology!
  • Learn to press flowers. Try anything to get your creative juices flowing.
  • Adopt a pet and train it. Teach your budgie or parrot to talk.
  • Learn to play an instrument or take an online course in music appreciation.
  • Commit to regular exercise such as yoga or pilates – both of which are known to raise your serotonin levels and make you happier.
  • There are many interesting groups on facebook where many helpful people are only too willing to help. Join the ones that grab your interest.
  • Take walks outside. Learn to connect with nature.
  • Develop an interest in bird watching and share your sightings with bird enthusiasts in online groups.

 

These are just a few suggestions but there are many more. While social isolation is not what we want, it’s just possible that it can launch us towards a new way of thinking.

Now read how our feelings and emotions are reflected in our handwriting.

And  Sadness and Frustration in handwriting

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Comments

  • Ravindra Junagade
    January 28, 2021

    Regarding loneliness as being seen in the handwriting, I have a basic doubt.

    I think that while it is relatively easier to find introversion and extroversion from handwriting, but I doubt whether it will necessarily reflect a feeling of loneliness in the individual. Psychologists from the list may throw some light on this.

    As per my understanding loneliness is a painful state. It brings restlessness. It makes the mind sprout negativity and sadness. The person feels cut-off, unwanted and unimportant. For some it brings the feeling of self-rejection.

    The introverts (as seen from handwriting) may be happy with themselves and enjoy being alone. They may be enjoying solitude. Their Choosing to remain alone may be allowing them to get in touch with themselves, reflect on their lives which may in turn leading to greater self-awareness. This is certainly a positive life-enriching aspect. They may not be experiencing a painful feeling of loneliness.

    As against this the extroverts (as seen from handwriting), when due to some reason unable to socialize, may feel the pain of loneliness.

    So I think painful feeling of loneliness will come only in such individuals who wish to socialize but are deprived of the same. This kind of feeling will not come in the introverts since they do not starve for socializing and on the other hand feel stressful when forced to socialize.

    There can be various reasons for individuals desiring for socializing, but they are unable to do so. The reasons for inability to socialize may be forced isolation, difficulty in communicating with others (due to lacking certain social skills such as picking up conversational cues), self-obsession, poor listeners, adamancy, arrogance, rudeness, etc.
    — Ravindra.

    • Joshua Michael Ahuluheluw
      January 29, 2021

      That’s a great analysis, Ravindra. Since I took both on graphology and psychology, I agree with your statement.

      Introvert people just happy with their own pace and space. They don’t need big circle in friendship. Just belong to several people that he/she enjoyed with.

      But the analyst wasn’t wrong too. He/she has their argument. I think we can appreciate author’s perspective. However, I suggest the author to take a look on the sample (once again) and make sure it describes loneliness. Maybe you can give a further explanation, with the trait one. You can combine it with Carl Jung’s perspectives (extro vs intro) and Bronfenbrenner (ecological factors)

      I hope your analysis will be great after take this suggestion.

    • Graphology World
      January 29, 2021

      Hi Ravindra
      An interesting take. However, whether the writer is accepting of his condition or not, the handwriting samples show social isolation.
      Sandra

    • Marcel
      February 11, 2021

      Agreed, Ravindra. Wide word spacing e.g. is an author with a need to keep others at a distance. This may very well be based on childhood trauma and established habitually as a handwriting characteristic.

      Keeping distance may have nothing to do with loneliness rather being insecure about others and a lack of trust. And trust is a function of how well we trust ourselves to cope with any given situation.

      It seems to me, if someone is lonely due to the pandemic, it’s a change in environment. And that suggest loneliness is a painful and hard to cope with circumstance suggesting a need to connect with others.

      It would be a very interesting study to look at people’s handwriting from 2016 as compared to end of 2020 while having been isolated.

      We do know handwriting can change dramatically with a change in circumstance. We only have to look at the inmate population for this to realize.

      Great question and great remarks. Nevertheless, Sandra certainly made a good point.

  • Andrew Willey
    January 28, 2021

    In this age of COVID I still jot down notes during at home computer classes. I do one letter at a time: no fancy cursive. most new jobs want you to work from home. I still try things old school even though my “penmanship” is very slow. One good way to beat the blues is to listen to music. I watch Myra (Sinclair) Perase play the flute. She plays for the OSPA orchestra in Esturias, Spain. She is very good. She is also locked down but plays from her house.

  • Nancy Howard
    May 25, 2022

    I felt a strong sense of sadness when I looked at those samples. The extreme spacing between the words …..
    There’s a difference between enjoying being alone and being sad. I suspect someone who is happy might tend to slant toward the right.

    • Graphology World
      May 25, 2022

      Nancy that you have an emotional reaction to the handwriting shows that have natural insight in addition to formal learning.

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