Tips for Managing Loneliness During a Pandemic

Assuming you’re lucky enough to be healthy during the Pandemic…awesome news! But how is your mental health?

If you’re feeling lonely or isolated:

Reach out: Connect with a friend or loved one through email, phone, Facetime, or Zoom. Seeing a familiar face or hearing a loved one’s voice can do wonders for us. 

Share: Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Let someone close to you know that you’re feeling alone.

Reflect: Sometimes, the luxury of time alone is not a luxury! It gives us too much time to ruminate or pick apart what might be troubling us. Work toward changing those thoughts to: What have I learned from this? How have I grown? How have I changed? Write these thoughts/ideas in a journal or express them in art form.

Find an Outlet: Find a healthy coping mechanism that works for you: walking outside, exercising inside, yoga, meditation, cooking, reading, caring for foster animals, cleaning out drawers, organizing closets, connecting with a virtual bible study or book club. Continue doing what works for you and try new ones as well.

Goals: Make a list of two things that you want to accomplish each day (an attainable goal).

Serve: Loneliness makes us feel helpless and isolated. If you are feeling down, empower yourself by using your gifts to bring goodness and love to your relationships and community. Focus on helping or checking in with someone else that needs it. Bake someone a cake, volunteer, or help a friend in need.

Isolation is tough. Challenge yourself to find creative ways to connect with the world around you. This will only benefit and grow you as the world opens back up and you are able to engage with others in Pre-COVID ways. Now is the time to push outside your comfort zone and find a connection. You will be amazed at the difference this makes in your life.