Loneliness: The pandemic no one is talking about

October 9, 2021

Long before the Covid-19 pandemic settled in, a conversation was taking place around a different kind of suffering worldwide - Harvard Magazine called it The Loneliness Pandemic [1]

Loneliness isn’t obvious and it can be tricky to spot. Experts say that you could see through the walls of every house on earth and observe who is alone, but you could never know who’s lonely. 

Sure enough, the Covid-19 crisis only made things worse for those who were already feeling emotionally isolated and pushed a good number of those who weren't into the same experience. 

The real problem is that the health implications of loneliness have become clearer over time. 

According to the research of Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, and colleagues, the heightened risk of mortality from loneliness equals that of smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic, and exceeds the health risks associated with obesity. [3]

Loneliness is no joke. What years ago would have been perceived as a mere complaint, today has become the worry of governments and public health specialists. 

So, what are some simple things we can focus on to help the Loneliness Pandemic?

Here are some of my favorite coaching tips:

1. Watch your self-talk

Change your narrative and go from “I am lonely” to “I feel lonely”.

Loneliness is not an identity, but an emotional state, so we should speak about it as such. 

2. Identify potential triggers 

Maybe listening to sad music, eating alone, staying up at night are things that trigger your loneliness. Try as much as you can to avoid those situations, set up online dinner dates with relatives and friends if you can’t meet them in person.     

3. Make a list 

Make a list of all the simple things that make you happy and try to do at least one of those a day. Maybe take a walk outside, have a bubble bath, snuggle with a good book, even journaling or meditation can be something you can try until you find the things you love doing by yourself.

4. Capitalize on your existing relationships

If it’s been hard to meet new people because of Covid, it’s the perfect opportunity to strengthen existing friendships and build up on those bonds. Carve out time to catch up with old friends. You might be surprised to see how much has changed, or stayed the same. 

Let’s persevere and push through these difficult times as best as we can; but most of all let’s stay connected even during these times of isolation - that way we will be a lot more likely to beat not one but two pandemics.