April 30, 2021
by April Ann Brillantes
One of the common feelings everybody encounters from time to time is loneliness. When we have no one to be with inside our houses or missed hanging out with friends to nostalgic public places, or when nobody is there to reach and contact us would often trigger loneliness.
Even coming from our ancestors down to the newest generations like us now, loneliness has been a huge part of this quarantine. At some point during this coronavirus pandemic, all of us will feel excluded and disconnected from our loved ones and friends. Especially to those distant from technological advancement and social media, and connections to everyone who’s close to our hearts have been put on pause as a sacrifice to keep everyone safe and save lives.
What do we do if the feeling persists more than we used to? If not dealt with properly, loneliness can grow into something harmful to mental health. This feeling should not be ignored since this may lead to higher chances of being associated with mental health problems such as sleep problems, increased stress, low self-esteem, anxiety, and even depression. The longer the pandemic continues, the more these feelings become long-term, which can be very difficult to handle.
Here are the things that we can do to cope up with loneliness while staying in our homes and being safe.
- Awareness and Recognition
First, we should be able to understand that loneliness is a natural feeling for everyone. Our body cares about our social needs and loneliness makes us pay attention to our social needs. Without this feeling, our ancestors would not be able to survive in their own tribes. This has been already a part of our life, being excluded means tragedy, and being together meant survival and happiness. The ability to recognize the things that made us lonely and being aware that loneliness is just natural will help us furthermore.
- Befriending Ourselves
Self-care is extremely important for everyone. We may feel lonely because deep down, we long for our own friendship. While we are all stuck in our houses we can wind up and relax. Fulfill our interest or learn something new is the best way to show kindness to our own selves.
- Reaching Out
We are not alone in this world and no man is an island. Connection to our loved ones, friends, and strangers could help us feel delighted and less lonely. A lot of ways can be used to connect with people and stay in touch with them even when we are all quarantined. Try calling a friend or a family member, exchanging text or chats to close people, joining online groups or classes that focus on something we enjoy. We could always check on someone too, be it a message or a regular phone call could make a huge impact on someone who hasn’t heard from anyone in a while.
This time could be difficult to deal with. Lonely feelings will be sometimes there, but it will just pass. There will be fun reunions, parties, feasts, and hangouts in the future. And while the world had stopped and healed itself slowly now, let us all be kind as possible to ourselves and others.