Help and resources
Words explained
Plain-English meanings of the words used in this guide, from attachment style to warmline.
Do this first
Type a word in the box to find it. Anywhere in the guide, words with a dotted underline show their meaning when you tap them.
43 of 43 terms
- 211
A free, confidential phone number in the U.S. and Canada that connects you with local help, such as food, housing, bills, health and caregiving services. You can also search online at 211.org (U.S.) or 211.ca (Canada).
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The U.S. number to call or text, 988, for free, confidential support from a trained counselor, any time of day or night. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org. Canada has its own 9-8-8 line.
- Algorithm
The set of rules an app uses to choose what you see, such as which posts, videos or profiles appear first. Most social media algorithms are built to keep you scrolling, not to help you feel better or more connected.
- Ambivert
Someone in the middle, with a mix of introvert and extravert tendencies. Most people are somewhere in the middle rather than at either end.
- Anticipatory grief
Grief that starts before a loss happens, for example while someone you love is seriously ill or slowly changing. It is a normal reaction, and it can be lonely because others may not see it.
- Attachment style
The pattern a person tends to follow in close relationships: how easily they trust, how much they worry about being left, and how comfortable they are with closeness. It grows out of early relationships but can change over a lifetime. It describes tendencies and is not a diagnosis.
- Befriending service
A program that matches a person who feels alone with a volunteer who calls or visits regularly for friendly conversation. It is companionship, not counseling. Many are run by charities, senior services and religious groups.
- Behavioral addiction
When an activity, not a substance, becomes hard to control and keeps causing harm, such as gambling or, for some people, gaming. Doctors formally recognize gambling disorder and gaming disorder; for other habits, like shopping or pornography, experts still debate the label, but the struggle can be just as real.
- Big Five
The best-researched way of describing personality. It measures five broad traits on a sliding scale: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (also called emotional stability, from the other end). Everyone has some of each.
- Catfishing
Pretending to be someone else online, using fake photos, a fake name or a made-up life story. Some catfishers want money, some want attention, and some want to hurt or embarrass. A short video call early on is one of the easiest ways to check that someone is real.
- Chosen family
Close friends and others who love and support you like family, whether or not you are related. The phrase is common among LGBTQ+ people, but anyone can have a chosen family.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
A practical, usually short-term kind of talk therapy. You learn to notice unhelpful thoughts, test whether they are true, and slowly change habits such as avoiding things you fear. It has strong research support for depression and anxiety.
- Complicated grief
Grief that stays very intense and gets in the way of daily life for a long time, often a year or more after a death. It is also called prolonged grief. Grief counselors and doctors can help, and talking to one is a sign of care, not weakness.
- Crisis line
A free, confidential phone, text or chat service for anyone in emotional distress, thinking about suicide, or worried about someone else. Most are open day and night. You do not need to be suicidal to contact one; loneliness and stress are good reasons too.
- Depression
A common health condition, not a weakness or a choice. It brings low mood or loss of interest in most things for at least two weeks, often with changes in sleep, appetite, energy and concentration. It is treatable, and most people get better with the right help.
- Emotional loneliness
Missing a close, trusted person: someone who really knows you, such as a partner, best friend or close family member. You can feel it even with many friends.
- Emotional support animal
A pet that gives comfort to a person with a mental or emotional condition, but is not trained to do a specific task. In the U.S., it is not a service animal under the Americans with Disabilities Act, so it has fewer legal rights in stores and on planes, and housing rules for it have been changing. Rules differ by state and by country.
- Empty nest
The time after the last child moves out of the family home. Some parents feel free and some feel lost or lonely; many feel both.
- Existential loneliness
A deeper feeling of being separate, as if no one can fully share your inner life, your suffering or your sense of meaning. It often comes up around illness, aging, loss or big life questions.
- Extravert
Someone who tends to feel energized by being around people and lively, busy settings, and restless after too much time alone. Extraverts can feel lonely too, especially when their days are suddenly quiet. The word is also spelled "extrovert".
- Generation
A group of people born in roughly the same span of years, such as Baby Boomers or Gen Z. Researchers use these labels to compare groups, but the birth-year lines are rough, and people born in the same years can live very different lives.
- Harm reduction
Practical steps that lower the dangers of drinking or drug use, whether or not a person is ready to stop. Examples are never using alone, carrying naloxone, and setting limits. The idea is to keep people alive and safer while they decide what comes next.
- Introvert
Someone who tends to feel more at ease and recharged in quiet settings or with one or a few people, and drained by long stretches of noise and crowds. It is not the same as being shy, and introverts want and need close connection too.
- Loneliness
The painful feeling that the connection you have is less than the connection you want or need. It is about how your relationships feel to you, not how many people are around you. Almost everyone feels it at some point.
- Masking
Hiding or holding back your natural ways of being, such as how you move, talk or react, so that you fit in with others. Many autistic and ADHD people describe masking, and say that doing it for long stretches is very tiring.
- Mutual aid
Neighbors helping neighbors directly, as equals, by sharing time, food, rides, tools or other things, instead of one side being the "helper" and the other the "helped". Many mutual aid groups are informal and run by volunteers.
- Neurodivergent
A word for people whose brains work differently from what is considered typical, for example autistic people and people with ADHD, dyslexia or Tourette's. It is not a medical diagnosis. Many people use it as a neutral or proud way to describe how they think.
- Peer support group
A group of people who share the same experience, such as grief, an illness, caregiving or recovery, who meet to listen to and support each other. It is usually led by a trained volunteer who has lived through the same thing, not by a therapist, and it is often free.
- Peer support specialist
A trained worker who has lived through a mental health condition or addiction and uses that experience to help others. They are not therapists, but they listen, share what helped them, and help you find services. In many U.S. states they can be certified.
- Respite care
Short-term care for a person who needs looking after, so that their usual caregiver can rest. It can last a few hours or a few days, and can happen at home, in a day program or in a care facility.
- Romance scam
A trick where someone fakes a loving relationship, usually online, to get money, gifts or personal details. The scammer often builds trust for weeks or months, then has a sudden emergency or an "investment" chance. Anyone can be fooled; it is a crime, and you can report it.
- Sliding-scale fee
A price that goes down if your income is lower. Many community clinics and some private therapists offer one. You usually have to ask, and you may need to show proof of income.
- Solitude
Time alone that you have chosen and that feels restful or useful, such as a quiet walk, prayer or reading. Many people need some solitude to feel well.
- Telehealth
Health care by video call, phone or secure messaging instead of in person. Many counselors, therapists and doctors offer it, and insurance often covers it.
- Third place
A public place outside home (the "first place") and work or school (the "second place") where people gather by choice and talk, such as a café, library, park or barbershop. The term comes from the sociologist Ray Oldenburg's 1989 book The Great Good Place.
- Warmline
A free phone line (sometimes text or chat) for when you are struggling or just need to talk, but are not in immediate danger. Many U.S. warmlines are answered by trained peers who have lived with mental health challenges themselves. Hours and who can call vary by line.
- Weak ties
Light, casual relationships, such as a neighbor you wave to, a barista who knows your order, or someone you chat with at the dog park. Research suggests these small contacts add to a sense of belonging, even though they are not close friendships.
Last reviewed: October 9, 2026
Strong, lasting fear of being judged, embarrassed or rejected in social situations, so strong that it gets in the way of daily life, work, school or friendships. It is more than shyness, and it often improves with treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy.