How to deal with loneliness caused during lockdown

With fast-paced lives, hectic schedules and never ending work and social obligations, we rarely get time to reflect on the fullness of our lives. We’re so busy checking things off our to-do lists, we forget to take a moment to stop, breathe and relax. That was the World before the Covid-19 Pandemic hit and sent the global economy into a standstill. Imposition of complete lockdowns all over has left many of us with ample time on our hands as we account for reduction in social obligations, outings, commute hours and the kind. While the fortunate ones are stuck in lockdown with family or friends, some people have been locked away all alone. We all are feeling the brunt of the lockdown on our mental health but it is cured to some extent by the presence of loved ones around us, but for these people living alone, the battle is much tougher.

We know that living along can lead to several negative emotions including stress, loneliness, depression, frustration and more. We’ve come up with some tips to help you cope better with these feelings, especially loneliness. Being locked down at home shouldn’t be the same as being locked away.

Connect With Your Loved Ones:

Thanks to the strides that technology has made, distance between loved ones can be reduced by simply opting to make a phone call or a video call. It may not be the same as being with your parents in person but it’s a step above feeling all alone. Calling your loved ones can help remind you that you are loved and not alone.

Setup Social Calls:

Just because you’re locked at home doesn’t mean you can’t hang with your friends. Setup weekly video calls with friends and catch up over a coffee, food or drinks. You’ll find that everyone’s struggling to be home but when you are all on call, it doesn’t matter how far apart, the vibe between you’ll remains unchanged.

Reconnect With The Forgotten Ones:

We all have those relatives, friends or loved ones that we meant to get in touch with but years went by and no one had the time to reconnect. This lockdown is the perfect opportunity to reconnect and rebuild your relationship with them as both of you find yourselves with more time on your hands.

Keep Yourself Busy:

One of the most common causes of negative emotions is idle time. When your mind is idle, it begins to over think and when it begins to do this, you find yourself spiraling into a sea of negativity. The best way to avoid this situation is to keep yourself busy by planning your day in advance. That way, you’ll know about the long stretches of idle time that you have in advance and you can assign something to do during that time. The busier you ae, the better you feel when you go to bed as you go to bed feeling more accomplished.

Take Up A Hobby:

You feel alone when you realize that there’s no one to help carry the burdens of your stress. A conversation with loved ones can often fix this but as the saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” We recommend taking up a hobby that you love and utilizing your idle time during the lockdown to nurture it. After that, you can continue to indulge yourself on a weekly or monthly basis. Studies have shown that engaging in a hobby of your choice can leave you feeling relaxed, happier and can help avoid burnouts.

Set Up A Schedule:

One of the biggest causes for the negative emotions is the disruption of our schedules. Prior to lockdown, you know exactly how your day would go – Work, Gym, Dinner, Drinks, Coffee, etc. There was comfort in knowing that you had somewhere to go each day, somethings to accomplish and a solid structure for it. When lockdown struck, most people lost complete sense of this routine and found themselves spiraling due to the lack of structure. Setting your own at-home routine and following it diligently will help keep you feeling positive during the lockdown.

Exercise:

The best way to counter a negative emotion is to produce a positive one. Studies have shown that exercising releases “Happy Hormones” into your brain thus, instantly improving your moods, lifting your spirits, reducing stress and energizing you. Even a quick walk in your building compound can leave you feeling refreshed. Engaging in exercise daily is one of the best ways to keep yourself in shape – both physically and mentally!

Cook:

One of the advantages of having time to yourself is that you can choose to pamper yourself. With the abundance of recipes available online, easily available ingredients and time at hand, what’s stopping you from treating yourself to a home-made gourmet meal? Cooking can be therapeutic, relaxing and fills up your time before you know it. An added advantage is that you have something delicious to binge on once your work is done and you are capable of satisfying your own midnight snack cravings!

Take Up A New Course:

When you find yourself engaged in learning about something new, you often find that times flies. This is because education has the power to consume your mind. Use the lockdown to upskill by learning about something that interests you and commit yourself to it. The busier you are learning, the less likely that you’ll feel alone.

Background Noise:

Playing music or leaving the television on in the background can work wonders to help avoid the feeling of loneliness and emptiness in a house. Have music playing or the television running while you work or relax and you’ll automatically find yourself a little more comforted as the silence in the house is replaced by the sounds produced.