Resources available for people dealing with loneliness

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The holidays tin beryllium the happiest clip of the year, but for some, it tin besides beryllium precise lonely.

"For me, loneliness started arsenic a young child, I tin accidental arsenic young arsenic 9 years old," said Gordie Ochinero-Bermudez, a Project Coordinator astatine NAMI Fresno. "I felt a consciousness of being different."

That feeling of loneliness has ever been portion of Gordie Ochinero-Bermudez's journey, and astatine times, it made it hard for her to socialize with others, particularly erstwhile she was young.

"For me, loneliness started and stemmed from a consciousness of rejection and not connecting," said Ochinero-Bermudez. "I felt similar possibly I wasn't seen oregon heard."

Dr. Amy Parks, the Executive Director of NAMI Fresno, explains radical are wired to person friends and beryllium astir others.

"We were calved to link and person relationships," said Dr. Parks. "Relationships are truly important for our wide and intelligence health."

With families gathering during the holidays to decorate oregon bask a meal, for those who are isolated done region oregon circumstance, it tin permission them feeling emotionally empty.

"If you don't person family, if you don't person friends, if you person strained relationships, past it's a reminder of what you don't have," said Dr. Parks.

To assistance radical struggling during Christmas week, NAMI volition unfastened its doors Monday and Thursday.

"There are truthful galore organizations that person opportunities to link and socialize with others," said Dr. Parks. "Doing that helps you consciousness little isolated."

Ochinero-Bermudez has learned to flooded loneliness. While it's inactive an ongoing challenge, she says she draws connected her household and idiosyncratic activities to find intent and support.

"Whether it's my religion successful God, being a stateless advocate," said Ochinero-Bermudez, "Or being a cyclist, it makes maine a portion of thing bigger than myself."

"Trying to find an idiosyncratic to beryllium unfastened with and susceptible with is good."

For quality updates, travel Ana Torrea connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This communicative is portion of the "Our America: Mental State - The Loneliness Epidemic" series. The collaboration betwixt ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations aims to stock reporting connected however to physique societal connections, with absorption connected stories astir kids, caregivers, the workplace, the election, the holidays, and anyone looking to larn however to instrumentality attraction of themselves and others.

Click here for each the stories and videos successful our series, "Our America: Mental State - The Loneliness Epidemic.