Combating Loneliness During Quarantine
By ANASTASIA TCHERNIKOV
Social isolation, loneliness and living alone exceed the risks of death associated with obesity, physical activity and air pollution, in fact, one study from Dr. Holt-Lunstad concluded that loneliness increases the risk of an earlier death by 26 percent.
However, being alone and lonely can be classified as two completely different ideas. It’s possible to live alone, work alone, and travel alone while feeling totally at peace with yourself, but on the other hand, loneliness hits differently, says Healthline.
Ironically, loneliness can actually make it harder to establish closer connections with others in the future.
As COVID-19 ravages the world, the epidemic of loneliness increases, going hand-in-hand with social distancing. While practicing social distance is lessening the impact of COVID-19, “We [still] can’t interact with friends or neighbors. We can’t visit elderly parents who are in nursing homes,” Dr. Doug Nemecek, Cigna’s chief medical officer for behavioral health says.
Afia Ofori-Mensa has actually lived alone for 16 years, according to the New York Times, but self-isolation made her feelings about being alone change. “The moments that are most difficult are when I think about not knowing when I’ll be able to touch another human being again,” she said.
As someone with no pets and no partner, she said she felt profoundly lonely.
Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University who has studied loneliness extensively says, “We’re social beings and our bodies respond when we lack the proximity to others,” giving reason to Afia’s change in feelings in response to COVID.
There are many solutions, though, to help this epidemic of loneliness.
Susan Pinker, a psychologist and author of “The Village Effect,” says video chats are the next best thing to being there and mentions that it’s an ideal time to pick up the phone and check in with friends and family with whom you’ve lost contact. Even just getting out and taking a walk around the block creates the opportunity to see people in a casual environment, she says.
Healthline also discusses numerous options to turn to to alleviate loneliness, saying that some communities host gatherings that are completely virtual, from virtual movie nights and mixers to online book clubs and coffee dates. Even apps like Talkspace and Betterhelp have made it possible to get therapy online.
Dr. Zlatin Ivanov, a licensed psychiatrist in New York City says “online therapy services can help treat symptoms of depressive disorders, including loneliness.”
Mental Health Colorado actually announced their "In This Together" initiative on Wednesday, providing friendly, supportive calls just for some old-fashioned conversation to whoever signs up.
Sandra Crews & Joe Mahoney, Western Regional Health Strategies Consultants for UnitedHealthcare, supports another to help with loneliness: mindfulness. Mindfulness means taking time to pay attention to yourself plus your thoughts and feelings, Crews & Mahoney say.
Research exhibited reduced stress, improved memory, sleep, immune system, resiliency and compassion for yourself and others as a result of mindfulness.
In general, loneliness does not need to be a disease, there are resources out there, even in times of social isolation, that can help society feel connected because we are not alone in this vast world.
Works Cited
De Felicis, Johnaé. "How to Curb Loneliness While the World Is in Lockdown."
Healthline, Red Ventures, 30 Apr. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/
how-to-curb-loneliness-while-the-world-is-physical-distancing#Reach-out-for-suppo
rt. Accessed 25 May 2020.
Halpert, Julie. "How to Manage Your Loneliness." The New York Times, 20 Apr.
2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/smarter-living/
how-to-manage-your-loneliness.html?auth=login-google. Accessed 25 May 2020.
Mahoney, Joe, and Sandra Crews. "Battling loneliness can start with
mindfulness." TheDailySentinel, BLOX Content Management System, 20 May
2020, www.gjsentinel.com/lifestyle/health_and_wellness/
battling-loneliness-can-start-with-mindfulness/
article_48bb4d34-9922-11ea-a460-2f77935a2546.html. Accessed 25 May 2020.