Loneliness comes in many shapes and forms. There's also a difference between loneliness and isolation. It's predicted that by 2030, the leading cause of death is going to be mental health problems, and loneliness is a huge factor when it comes to mental health. With the pandemic, lockdowns, and Zoom meetings face-to-face interaction has been reduced even more. Dr. Bill Howatt  has over 30 years experience in mental health, addictions, HR, and leadership. He's published over 400 articles and 40 books. His latest book is The Cure For Loneliness, and it's all about feeling connected and escaping isolation. Feeling connected to others is good for our mental health. There is also a wide spectrum of connections from a simple smile from a stranger to a hug from a relative. His book is a step-by-step workbook to help readers move away from isolation and loneliness. We dive into some of the principles in his book and talk about different forms of loneliness. We talk about how you can be lonely even if you're in a relationship. We talk about isolation. We tackle some of the problems that are being exacerbated by the recent pandemic, and Dr Howatt shares some solid advice on how to conquer loneliness and improve our mental health. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com  Bill Howatt thank you so much for being here! Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself.  Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.   Join 17,000 subscribers looking to do "business with a soul" and sign up to receive my Self-Employed Nutshell Newsletter! Sign up here!   Highlights – [02:23] Bill is excited about his new English bulldog puppy, Link. [03:13] Jeffrey shares startling statistics from Bill's new book. Loneliness can reduce longevity by 70%. [03:40] Bill has been seeing patients for over 30 years. Loneliness has been seen as more of a symptom and doesn't meet any of the criteria of mental illness. [04:25] Bill talks about the difference between loneliness and isolation and different types of loneliness. [04:53] By 2030, the leading cause of death is going to be mental health problems. What predicts mental health? [07:11] People in relationships where they don't feel valued become lonely. In a relationship, both people need to opt into it and choose each other. [07:59] Loneliness comes in all different shapes and forms. [09:44] The pandemic has actually eliminated the fragility of human beings in that we actually need social connections. We have lost our micro interactions from eating at restaurants to working in an environment surrounded by other people. [13:57] Bill shares a story about a conversation with his dad which illuminates how mental blocks can stop us. [16:46] Our emotional brains don't use logic. We are often wrong and form false conclusions. Our brains will learn our negative thoughts.  [19:12] Lonely people either retrench and push people away or become like a workaholic and hide their emotions. [20:09] Reframing feelings of loneliness. We aren't looking for social connections when we're in work mode, but when we come out of work mode we are. [20:51] People need people. Lonely people don't know how to close the connection gap and meet their needs. [22:55] Zoom and social media are more of a bridge during the pandemic. [23:15] We often look for happiness on the outside. We need to build relationships with ourselves, so people can build relationships with us. [23:44] The key to moving away from loneliness is developing self resiliency and compassion towards ourselves. Happiness means we need to be comfortable in our skin. [24:23] There's nothing humans get more excited about than having a social interaction with someone who they deeply value. [25:09] Introverts still like being around people; they just get a charge f