LONELINESS is not dependent on the number of people we are surrounded by or connected with via social media but instead the relationships we have with those people.

So how can we combat this problem?

The answer is not more online friends but concentrating on the relationships that we have and need, one woman says.

Occupational therapist and relatively new to the Rose City is 22-year-old Kate Delaney, who knows quite well the challenges associated with relocating and building a new friend and support network.

Miss Delaney said she was prepared for her move to Warwick and was lucky at the hospitality of everyone she met early on.

"When I first moved here for work in January I left all my friends and family behind," she said.

"The hardest part about that was that they had been my support system and company for so long and that was no longer the case. In essence I had to start again and parts of that were hard."

Miss Delaney said she realised that while it was perfectly fine to remain close to her family and friends she also needed Warwick-based friends.

"There is only so much you can get out of phone calls and Facebook messages," she said.

"You need to have friends and colleagues close by that can help with the aspects of loneliness that come from not having meaningful and personal interaction.

"Now I'm best friends with my two housemates and having a social and professional life here that I am involved in has combated the initial loneliness that can come with relocating."

Miss Delaney said the moral of her story was to turn off the computer, get outside and get involved in the community and meet people.

SURPRISINGLY

• A report for the Australia Institute indicated that more than 50% of lonely people counted less than a third of their Facebook friends as real friends.