Loneliness is essentially sadness or emptiness from isolation. We must change the social stigma that loneliness is a shortcoming. Ultimately you are alone for a reason; take advantage of this break from the outside world and learn to handle the effects of being alone. You can experience loneliness no matter the situation. You may have a house full of children, a spouse breathing down your neck constantly, or you're a student staying home during covid. You may not be alone by definition, but you can still experience loneliness. See below for tips on how to beat the loneliness of a pandemic.
Anxiety
One of the most common effects of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic is anxiety. Anxiety is a natural reaction to uncertainty. Learning to maintain and conquer anxiety is a process but focus on the moment in time. Throughout this pandemic, you may feel no one understands you and the situation you are going through. The solution to this problem of anxiety is taking advantage of the loneliness and understand yourself.
Keep a schedule (or not): Organize your days into whatever is comfortable enough to make yourself feel accomplished every day.
Self-care: Take the time to ease your anxiety by relaxing yourself and catering to your passions.
Depression
Another effect of loneliness during coronavirus is depression. It is easy to feel that relationships aren't meaningful and collapse into the lonely thoughts we're left with during times like these. To conquer the depression of loneliness during COVID, we must reach out to keep those important connections. Remember, even if you're lonely, you're not alone. Many people are in the same situation as you, so reach out and comfort each other. Remember as well that you don't need other people not to feel lonely.
Commit to a fitness class: Join others on the journey to better themselves by committing to an online fitness class/challenge and look forward to something every day!
Call friends for virtual happy hours: Chill and relax with friends and family by catching up.
Call friends for virtual lunch dates: Arrange check-ins with friends and family during lunch hours to take a break and eat together like old times.
Organize virtual game nights: Have a little fun by creating online game nights to stay connected with friends in a fun way.
Stress
One of the immediate effects that most people felt with the worldwide virus is stress. In a moment of panic, it's easy to feel that you're not "in tune" with all that is going on and all the information you have to decide what is important and what is not. To lower stress levels and still stay informed, you must research carefully...to an extent.
Meditation: Try to include time for meditation or prayer to relax your mind and calm stress levels.
Leave technology: Try to go for a few hours or a day without technology. Attempt to escape the chaos in the world to have a brief moment of no stress.
Sleep
Lastly, the pandemic has a long-lasting effect on sleep. In a worldwide pandemic of sickness and illness, it is easy to have nerves and lose sleep. You may feel as if there is no one to turn to; the solution is to turn within or turn to faith. To help get a night of better sleep, fresh air will lower your mental health issues.
Bike trails: Go for a ride and explore your city.
Go on walks with music or podcast: Aid your education by getting exercise for better sleep and feeding your mind.
Check out our mental health post or the entire blog to build an inner-self relationship to journey out of loneliness.
Comments