Since the human being is a social being, he enjoys being in the company of other people, even if he does not interact too much with them. Going out to the park, performing everyday tasks, such as shopping or paying for services, are opportunities to look at other faces and clear your mind.
However, the arrival of Covid-19 in the world has caused everything we know to change drastically. Since it is important to follow the recommendations of the authorities, in order to maintain health, some have fallen victim to another type of illness: emotional ones.
Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, fear of loneliness are some of the many consequences that the quarantine to which we have been subjected has brought. In order to get out of one problem, we have had to get into others.
Of course, this does not mean that we are all condemned to experience isolation in the same way. While it is true that it is important to take care of physical health, it is equally important to take care of emotional health.
If you find yourself in a situation of confinement at home and limit your outings to the most necessary, how can you deal with the fear of loneliness in the midst of this current pandemic? How can you get ahead, despite being home alone?
As dark as the outlook may seem, keep in mind that there is always something you can do to improve the situation and make confinement more bearable. However, if you run out of ideas about what it can do, don’t let the parrot go! In this article you will find very interesting ideas.
Also, you will learn to cope with negative emotions, which come as a result of loneliness. Therefore, get to work and take note of these recommendations and reinvent yourself every day. Make each one different.
Instructions to deal with the fear of loneliness in a pandemic
Forced isolation, a product of the arrival of Covid-19, has caused many people to face the dreaded monster of loneliness. However, keep in mind that all of us have the ability to fight our fears and overcome them. Therefore, pay attention to some things you can do:
- The first thing you have to do is learn to distinguish your emotional state, since being alone is not the same as feeling alone. Sometimes you may be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. However, the opposite is also true, it is possible to be alone and be at peace with yourself. Keep in mind that physical loneliness is usually temporary, but loneliness that comes from a mental state is usually deeper. Because of this, you may need to talk to a professional about how you feel.
- Learn to enjoy solitude. Like everything in this life, loneliness also has its positive side. Take advantage of the moments when you are alone to get to know yourself better, develop your creativity and increase your potential. Do some kind of manual activity, learn a new language, play mental games, such as Sudoku or crossword puzzles, read a good book, dare to prepare that recipe that you like so much, and that you have not yet put into practice. Of course, above all, the most important thing is to know how to alternate moments of solitude and those of company, virtual or physical, so that you can feel calm in both circumstances and maintain balance.
- Don’t lose contact with others. Even if you are alone, you do not have to face the pandemic situation alone. Today there are many tools that allow us to interact with our friends. Why don’t you make a video call or a conference call to strengthen your friendship ties? If you use your creativity, you will realize that you can do many activities together, even if you are physically apart. For example, watching a movie, playing video games, singing karaoke, etc. Sure, your happiness should not depend on the company of others. When you don’t need others to be happy, then you can say goodbye, once and for all, to the fear of loneliness.
- Practice some exercise at home. Doing this will help you regulate your thoughts and emotions. You can use it as a great ally to find and maintain your inner balance, while maintaining a healthy body, since confinement also contributes to a sedentary lifestyle and this is not good for your mood.
- If you notice that the fear of loneliness is very intense and constant, and that it is stronger than your own forces, in this case, it might be convenient for you to seek professional help, because you could be showing symptoms of depression.
Today it is possible to receive virtual consultations. This professional will be in charge of supporting you and giving you the necessary tools to get ahead, overcome your fears and recover your quality of life.
With all of these ideas in mind, is there anything else you can do to deal with the fear of loneliness during this pandemic? Of course yes. Let’s see it right now.
What do you need to deal with the fear of loneliness in a pandemic?
Some have defined loneliness as the lack of company. Sometimes this situation is voluntary. It is given by personal decision, when seeking to become independent and give a new direction to life. However, sometimes unintentionally. That is, a person may be alone due to different circumstances.
For example, perhaps he has not married, perhaps he has grown older and the children have already left home, it may be as a result of the loss of a loved one, etc. The truth is that not everyone assumes loneliness in the same way. Hence the fear of loneliness arises.
Some of the causes of this fear are a difficult childhood that affects emotional development. For example, some parents threaten their children with leaving them alone or giving them away if they misbehave. Others, due to the need to work, have left their children in day care homes or with a relative.
All this causes a feeling of abandonment in the person, which reinforces the fear of loneliness and, over time, makes the person not prepared to assume it in the best way.
On the other hand, the cultural factor also influences the fear of loneliness, since, culturally, having few friends or even remaining single can be seen as something negative.
All these situations affect the level of self-confidence of the person, a determining factor when facing the fear of loneliness. However, what can you do to fight this fear now that we live in a pandemic?
Tips for dealing with the fear of loneliness in a pandemic
Since we don’t know how much longer the confinement situation can last, it is important that you know what else you can do to deal with the fear of loneliness.
- Use social media. This is an excellent tool to communicate with others and to widen your circle of friends. Get in touch with friends from the past and relive the good times, while creating new memories.
- If you don’t feel comfortable with the idea of going into some chat room to meet people, you can make a personal blog and share your ideas online. You will realize that there are many more who feel the same as you and, by finding common ground, you will have more people with whom you can talk, without fear of feeling judged or labeled.
- Sign up for an online class. The Covid-19 pandemic has opened up a wide range of possibilities in this regard. Think of something you would like to learn how to do, such as dancing, cooking, drawing, writing, among many other activities.
- Of course, this will give you the opportunity to interact with both your teacher and your other classmates and you will be able to keep your mind occupied for longer. Also, in your free time, you can put into practice the things you have learned and let your imagination run wild, exploiting all your creative potential.
- Focus on helping others. Do a little digging and you’ll find that people are facing different challenges during the pandemic. Some feel lonely, just like you, while others deal with economic or health problems, among many other adverse situations.
- When you focus on giving of your time, energy and experience to others, you stop focusing on yourself and forget about self-pity, because you realize that others have bigger problems than yours.
- Take care of your physical appearance. This includes not only getting a little exercise, but also grooming yourself from time to time, even if you’re not going to leave your house. For example, if you have a class scheduled, dress according to the situation, the same if you have a virtual date with your friends.
If it suits you, give yourself a makeover. Sometimes the changes are positive. Remember that your external appearance says a lot about how you feel internally.
Although it may seem very difficult or painful at first, the less you avoid loneliness, the easier it will be to learn to live with it in a healthy way. Remember that solitude is necessary to increase our well-being and emotional independence, since it favors introspection.
On the other hand, although it may seem contradictory, loneliness allows us to improve our self-esteem, since it helps us feel comfortable and happy with ourselves, and gives us the opportunity to find the balance between being alone and accompanied, to feel complete.
Therefore, try to see the other side of loneliness. If you manage to do this, it will be much easier for you to deal with the fear of loneliness during this pandemic.
