The global COVID-19 pandemic, which has deeply affected Turkey and the rest of the world for the last two years, is rapidly increasing the number of people suffering from loneliness. The very high risk of transmission of the omicron variant and its rapid spread makes social isolation mandatory in almost every age group. However, feeling lonely is not healthy, and there are steps that can be taken to mitigate the sense of being alone.
"Loneliness is a painful, undesirable process that almost everyone experiences at least once in their lifetime," said Acıbadem Fulya Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Büşra Sübay.
"With the pandemic, it has been felt much more in our lives for about two years. Humans are creatures that need socialization and relationships in order to survive. Scientific research reveals that lack of communication and staying away from social relations negatively affect physical and mental health.
"Loneliness can cause many problems, from brain issues to cardiovascular diseases, from depression to anxiety disorders and dementia."
Sübay listed some suggestions that could be effective in coping with the feeling of loneliness and warned against particular points.
"You may be feeling lonely. Loneliness can contain many different emotions such as sadness, pain, feeling lost, nothingness, helplessness and alienation," Sübay said. "Remember that all the emotions we experience are temporary and they cannot stay with us all the time."
"What emotion does loneliness evoke in you? You can take the first step by discovering this emotion. We know that emotions begin to lessen their impact on us when we listen to them and become aware of them. In order to explore these feelings, we must focus on ourselves. Maybe you can try to put the feelings into writing."
Loneliness involves being deprived of social relationships. Sometimes the end of a relationship in which we feel we were not understood can lead to this isolation, sometimes we prefer to stay away from people because of feeling like we are caught in the emptiness brought by loneliness.
Loneliness gets worse in these situations. Actually, the vicious circle can be broken by trying to spend time with people that make you feel happy. Therefore, be in touch with your loved ones. Making video calls during the pandemic in particular is good for you and your loved ones.
What do you really need? Ask yourself this question. Sometimes, to deal with unsettling emotions we take actions to suppress them, such as shopping when we don't need to or eating when we're not hungry.
When we feel lonely, instead of filling that void with other things, feeling that emotion will help us understand ourselves and discover what we really need.
There is no single simple formula for these needs, and our own needs may change over time. Just as a parent might pay attention to their child, wondering "Is he hungry or thirsty? Is he sleepy?" to meet their child's needs, we must pay attention to ourselves.
Sometimes the loss of a loved one can create feelings of sadness and loneliness in us. In this case, creating a space where we can express our feelings about the loss will meet our needs.
"We can sometimes feel like we don't belong anywhere," Sübay said. "It's not impossible to find people who we can communicate with. This step will help increase the sense of belonging. You can attend events, clubs or meetings where you can share common interests with others."
Attend routine meetings or events with people you have things in common with. Try to regularly do things that you love and that you know are good for you. Since the routines created with others will increase your sense of belonging, they will reduce the discomfort of loneliness.
"We know that the relationship with nature actually helps us reach ourselves. While in nature, staying away from that pace that pushes us to loneliness in the hustle and bustle of city life, will increase our closeness with ourselves and it will be easier for us to realize our own needs," Sübay said.
