Addressing Loneliness During the Corona Lockdown

It's been noted that in the 21st century, even though we are the most connected generation in terms of social media, we are the loneliest generation. This situation only worsens with the restrictions that have brought about due to the Covid pandemic around this world. Individuals have now been forced to remain isolated for long amounts of time without actual human interaction. Though the virtual world seems to bring about some respite, it can by no means take the place of real face to face interaction between humans.

An interesting thing about loneliness is that a person can feel lonely even in the midst of a crowd. And the more lonely a person feels, ironically, the more the person isolates themselves from other humans. Many even lock themselves up and battle against their emotions all alone. The feeling of loneliness and being depressed are interlinked and people who feel lonely are likely to get depressed too. This situation can quickly spiral downward and affect the individual's well being and can even lead to suicide in many cases.

To overcome this, what should be done? While I was facing isolation and lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, I realized that boredom and loneliness were quickly setting in. To combat it, I began to use my free time to learn something new. I enrolled myself for some free online classes and also began to learn some skills online. I also was able to revive my hobby of reading books. They say when you're in love with books, you are never alone because of the myriad of companions that you have and the adventures that you can embark on. This helped me bide my time and helped me keep my mind focussed and refreshed.

One of the most effective stress relievers was meditation. I began my day with at least half an hour of meditation followed by some exercises that could be done at home. I mainly did calesthenics which also helped me keep in shape. Exercise and meditation have also been known to lower cortisol levels which in turn reduces stess. Meditation also helped me focus and eliminate negative thoughts from my mind.

Another good stress reliever was to rear some plants and to try origami. It gave me a purpose during my mundane routine. Because plants need regular care, I needed to make sure that I provided for the needs of my plants. If I ignored them for a few days, my plants would perish. Thus, I needed to be proactive to keep them healthy and alive. Another benefit of growing plants is that they purify the indoor air of toxins. Many people found even the rearing of pets very useful during the lockdown. In fact, pets have shown to be some of the best companions during this whole pandemic.

Rather than wallow in despair regarding the lockdown, I decided to utilise the extra time that I had to increase my knowledge and improve my skills. I began to learn more about crypto and that journey led me here in this website. I began to realise that being alone and being lonely are completely different things. Like I mentioned before, one can be in the midst of a crowd and yet feel lonely but being alone doesn't have to mean that you're lonely. You can learn to enjoy your own company and even enjoy your environment. It all begins with the determination to overcome the feeling of loneliness.

What I learnt was that one needs to keep a positive mind. This is not easy for many but it's not impossible either. Loneliness begins in the mind and the mind must be trained to combat it. Do things that brings joy to you. Have an attitude of gratitude. So these are what helped me overcome my feelings of loneliness during the lockdown. I hope that my experience can be of help to you too!