Covid-19 has put us in a situation of being alone a lot. Occasionally we all want a little time alone, but now we are forced to spend days at a time and not interacting with others. We have to adjust but we still need interaction with other to stay healthy. Plenty of people are in a situation now where they are out of work, social distancing from family and friends, working from home, not going to events, not going to church or family functions.
According to Vince Faust, Persistent loneliness has been linked to a growing list of health problems that include insomnia, cardiovascular problems and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies also show that loneliness raises the risk for premature death among adults age 50 and older by 14%.
The connection between loneliness and depression has been established for quite sometimes, but recently it has been linked to elevated blood pressure, increased stress hormones and an impaired immune system. Loneliness also exacts a huge toll when people turn to unhealthy behaviors to avoid the pain loneliness brings. You can’t eat it away. You can’t drink it away. There is no recreational drug that will erase it.
Nutrition, sleep, exercise, recreational time are areas that we can adjust to fight loneliness. These areas are the ones we control.
Helping others makes you feel good about yourself and helps develop self-esteem. Seek out programs, which satisfy your needs as well. Don’t sit around and wait for things to happen, turn on some music and play it until you’re dancing and singing along with it.
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