- Did you know that a human survive for 3 minutes without air?
- Do you know a human can survive for 3 days without water?
- Did you know a human can survive for 3 weeks without food? ( I am going to try this!)
- And they say, the maximum a human can is six to nine months survive without companionship.
And the pandemic has bought with it an epidemic of loneliness for most of us. Staying away from our family and friends for over a year as we reach the one year mark of the lockdown and COVID 19 changing our lives. While most of us may have found ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness, there are still a lot if us at large, battling with the epidemic of loneliness. Not having met our family who stay in different states or countries. Missing the warmth of a hug or just being close to them.
Ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness
What was the norm, suddenly became un-reachable overnight. Whether we were in different cities or whatever the reasons were, we couldn’t meet our loved ones and it was difficult as all of us as a unit, sat cooped in one home with zero interaction with the real world for almost 4 months. The virtual world was were our only friends. While many of us crumbled within or broke down, there were also far more resilient people out there who came up with ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness.
We’ve just crossed the one year mark of the coronavirus turning our world upside down! As we move into the second year of coronavirus with the Damocles’ sword looming over our heads, let’s fight this battle of loneliness that is affecting our mental health together.
Here are some ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness.
Identify your loneliness
While most of us may not realize it, but loneliness is a very complex emotion. You can feel lonely in crowded places or even when surrounded with your family and friends. The lack of social interaction in the pandemic has heightened the feeling of loneliness in people; in some cases leading to severe mental health issues like depression or binge eating.
Have a go-to friend
Have a go-to friend. If you are feeling low and lonely reach out to your friends to seek support from them. When you build stronger social relationships, you are less likely to feel lonely. Just to know that you may have even that “one” friend to speak to can help in many ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness.
Reach out
Sadly, we still live in a world where mental health issues are not yet spoken about in the open. Reaching out to a friend or a therapist is are some ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness. Letting out emotions, people listening to mumble-jumble in the mind is the need of the hour. If someone reaches out to you, do not shun them, but hear them out.
Get a Pet
They say that pets, especially dogs and cats, help to combat loneliness. So if you have been on the fence and wondering if you should have a pet, consider getting one now! Pets, uncannily help you connect with other people when you walk them around. It opens you up to a community of other dog-walkers and cat lovers! And the best part? Pets provide unconditional love, which can be a great salve for loneliness.
Avoid the comparison
Most of us are a part of the social media. At the end of the day mindless scrolling on our social media makes us believe that someone else’s life is much better than ours. We tend to believe in a mindset that says that other people’s lives are better and less lonely than ours at the moment. Remember that very often, we only see what other people want to share about their lives and what they want us to see on social media. Remind yourself that you don’t know how other people feel when they are alone, or when their social media feeds are turned off.
While in extreme cases, it is suggested that you opt for professional help, these are some self-nurturing and self-healing some ways to combat the epidemic of loneliness.
Note: If you face severe anxiety coping with loneliness, consult your doctor for the right treatment.
This post is part of Blogchatter’s #CauseAChatter.
https://www.theblogchatter.com/causeachatter
I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z in collaboration with Blogchatter.
Keep aside pandemic, the rising effect of technology is making us more alone than ever. This is the reason mental health issues are increasing to the extent we need consultants for that.
Times are tough and it’s not easy to sail the present times. We are all going thru anxiety, worry, helplessness, and loneliness for sure. Thanks for sharing some doable ways to help combat loneliness. Having a friend and able to reach out to someone is always helpful. Social media comparisons are sure to be avoided. Wishing to see old normal days again.
I was reading about how the pandemic could affect the socio-behavioral development of kids. That’s the age group I feel worst about. They should be in parks, getting scrapes and playing around not sitting at home.
Tell me about it! I know the battle every single day of the boys staying at home 🙁
PandemiclLoneliness and isolation is traumatising, especially for those who are unwell, living alone and unable to meet anyone.
Much-needed writeup! Muffy is the one thing that is keeping me sane during these difficult times.
Pets are so comforting and the most amazing friends
Yet another solution is to convert loneliness into solitude.
But that’s tough. So your suggestions are better.
Solitude is something we choose upon ourselves, loneliness on the other hand is forced upon us!