The Laughter Clinic

Community: 10 Practical ways to reduce loneliness.

• Mark McConville • Season 1 • Episode 3

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Loneliness and isolation contribute to various mental health conditions, but day-to-day community interactions can significantly improve our wellbeing. Research from Blue Zones—regions with high numbers of healthy centenarians—shows social connectedness is a primary driver for living a long, happy life.

• Belonging to a community decreases loneliness, lowers stress, and provides crucial support during challenging times
• Contributing to community activities fosters purpose, empathy, and enhances overall wellbeing
• Blue Zones demonstrate the power of social connectedness for living to 100+ with good health
• Practical strategies for connecting include reaching out to friends and family
• Joining local clubs, business networking groups, or volunteering for causes you care about
• Becoming a regular at local establishments helps build recognition and small conversations
• Taking classes, using online resources to find offline communities, and joining peer support groups
• Seeking help from a mental health professional if engaging with a community feels challenging or overwhelming
• Laughter is a powerful connector when spending time with like-minded individuals
• Finding communities that match your interests creates meaning and fosters a sense of belonging

Remember, you matter. Be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you.


"If you or someone you know needs support, please contact one of these Australian mental health services. In an emergency, always call 000."

Lifeline Australia
Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7)
Web: lifeline.org.au

Suicide Call Back Service
Phone: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
Web: suicidecallbackservice.org.au

Beyond Blue
Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24/7)
Web: beyondblue.org.au

Kids Helpline (for people aged 5-25)
Phone: 1800 55 1800 (24/7)
Web: kidshelpline.com.au

MensLine Australia
Phone: 1300 78 99 78 (24/7)
Web: mensline.org.au

SANE Australia (complex mental health issues)
Phone: 1800 18 7263 (10am-10pm AEST, Mon-Fri)
Web: sane.org

QLife (LGBTIQ+ support)
Phone: 1800 184 527 (3pm-midnight AEST)
Web: qlife.org.au

Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling)
Phone: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
Web: openarms.gov.au

1800RESPECT (sexual assault, domestic violence)
Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Web: 1800respect.org.au

Headspace (youth mental health, ages 12-25)
Phone: 1800 650 890 (9am-1am AEST)
Web: headspace.org.au

13YARN (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Phone: 13 92 76 (13YARN) (24/7)
Web: 13yarn.org.au

Music produced by Hayden Smith
https://www.haydensmith.com/


Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Laughter Clinic Podcast with comedian and suicidologist Mark McConville, bringing you practical, evidence-based self-care strategies, the latest research in mental health, along with conversations that inspire, educate and entertain. This is the Laughter Clinic Podcast with your host, mark McConville.

Speaker 2:

Hey folks, mark McConville here, how are you going? Are you looking for some ways to feel a little bit less alone and isolated and maybe start to get connected to a community? The unfortunate thing is we've all had times in our lives where we felt a bit alone and a little bit isolated. And the research shows that. You know, loneliness is a contributing factor to various mental health conditions some, you know, including depression, anxiety, decreased sense of overall wellbeing. And you know, while the political leaders can talk about mental health policies and mental health funding and that sort of stuff, it is our day-to-day interactions at a community level which really help our mental health and well-being. So let's talk about key benefits to belonging to a community Obviously, decreased sense of loneliness and isolation, lowered levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Having a support network around you during challenging times as you navigate negative life events is great. Knowing that people care for you, knowing that once you become a part of a community, it helps build your resilience and your coping skills because people are in your corner. Contributing to community activities fosters a sense of purpose, empathy, feeling accepted and valued, enhances your overall sense of well-being and self-worth. You know and the evidence to support this stuff is incredible.

Speaker 2:

From around the world there is evidence to support the importance of a sense of belongingness and community engagement. The one I want to talk to you about, probably most significantly, is Blue Zones. I don't know if you're familiar with these. So there's five regions around the world that have a high level of centenarians, people amongst their populations that live to 100. But they're not only living to 100, they're living to 100 well like really well low levels of cancer, low levels of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, low levels of neurodegenerative disease, you know dementia and Alzheimer's and all that sort of stuff. And while you know they talk about, there's commonalities amongst diet and physical activity. Being active, social connectedness is probably one of the biggest drivers for living a long and happy life amongst these communities. I invite you to check it out. Blue Zones they're pretty cool, they're pretty interesting. Okinawa is probably the one that you'll find first.

Speaker 2:

So feeling less alone and less isolated can be challenging. I get it. It really can. So I'm going to give you 10 practical tips, practical strategies that you may or may not have thought of, that might help you engage and become part of a community and give you a sense of belongingness. So firstly, obviously, reaching out to friends and family because they're your immediate community. So if you haven't spoken to them for a while or just send them a text message or a phone call or whatever, but they're your first port of call.

Speaker 2:

Joining a local club or a group of like-minded people, whether it's a sports club, you don't have to play sport, being a supporter is enough. You know chess club, book club, whatever you're into, there's clubs and pretty much anything these days. Or maybe you're a business person and you own your own business. Becoming a part of a business networking group might be your thing. You know BNI, rotary, join your local chamber of commerce great way to engage and get out and be part of your local community. And, who knows, you might end up getting some work out of it.

Speaker 2:

Volunteering and fundraising for causes that you're passionate about, I've got to tell you volunteering is probably one of the most satisfying and rewarding communities to be involved with. I know this from personal experience. During the 90s, for five years I was a volunteer with the Queensland State Emergency Service and I made some fantastic friends and that community I felt a part of was so powerful. We did some really meaningful work for some people who couldn't help themselves during times of disaster and that stuff really fills your cup and I'm still friends with some of these people that I was a part of that community with. So that's number four.

Speaker 2:

Volunteering Fantastic community to be a part of. Attend a local event in your area, maybe markets or a music festival or a sporting event. Becoming a regular at local places, you know, going to the same place regularly, getting to be known and recognised. You know like I do my grocery shopping at the same place every week and there's something pretty cool about, you know, when you walk in and you see the same person there and it's like hey, mark, how you going? Yeah, good mate, you know what's been happening. Oh, big week, whatever, you know. So those small conversations you know, just being seen regularly in your local community can lead to small conversations which in turn can lead to big conversations, and who knows where that stuff can lead.

Speaker 2:

Number seven taking a class or workshop. You know, finding something that you think, oh, I wouldn't mind doing an art class or a music class or, you know, dance class or something like that. Number eight go online to get offline. You know, if you're a bit unsure as to what it is that you wouldn't mind getting involved with. Do a search, do a Google search, see what's available in your local area. You might see something that you go wow, that looks pretty cool, hadn't thought of that and that might end up being your community.

Speaker 2:

Number nine is maybe you're going through some stuff at the moment and you know addiction issues, or you're going through some personal stuff where you feel as though you might need to. You know, explore, being part of a peer support group, and this is a community of people that are going through the same sort of thing that you're going through and you're there to support each other. And what a great community to be, a community of people that are going through the same sort of thing that you're going through and you're there to support each other. And what a great community to be a part of and feel belonging to. And number 10 is that, if all of this stuff feels a little bit too hard and you think I don't really know if I'm up for this or engaging I don't know how to go about it it you know to navigate that maybe it's time that you engage a mental health professional to help you to get out there and engage with some community in some way shape or form.

Speaker 2:

And you know, for me personally, you know I'm a member of my local golf club, my car club. I'm a member of the comedy community. Obviously, I've been a comedian for 27 years and, just talking about that, I guarantee you, when you go out and you're part of these communities, laughter is always something that you will find at some point in these communities when you get these like-minded individuals together and you start to have some fun and sharing laughter with other people is so powerful for connectedness. And I and I'm also a member of, obviously, the mental health and suicide prevention community, which I'm incredibly proud of to be a part of this community. So, as always, my friends, you matter, you really do so. Be kind to yourself and be kind to those around you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening. The information contained in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. It is not intended, nor should it ever, replace advice received from a physician or mental health professional. Want more info? Visit thelaughtercliniccomau. If you enjoyed the episode, please share and subscribe. Thanks again for listening to the Laughter Clinic Podcast with your host, mark mcconville.