The Catholic Guide to Loneliness: How Science and Faith Can Help Us Understand It, Grow from It, and

Kevin Vost, Psy.D.
Sophia Institute Press, 161 pages

Kevin Vost offers expert advice for battling loneliness and its effects through practical and spiritual means. Through “adaptive social thinking,” we can train ourselves to approach social situations more rationally and avoid self-destructive behaviors. He recommends the four cardinal virtues as “hinges” by which we can overcome the “distress” of loneliness, and stresses the importance of friendship. We can also look to Christ’s experience of human loneliness, particularly by reflecting on his “seven last words.” Each chapter offers a five-step “action plan,” and Vost concludes with 30 ways we can alleviate our loneliness by focusing less on ourselves and instead simply loving our neighbor — who may just feel lonely himself.