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| Coping With Loneliness While Living Alone and Isolated During the Pandemic |
Living alone during this pandemic can be very challenging, especially when people, who are alone, are suddenly cut off from having physical contact with their loved ones and other activities that would normally sustain them.
Tips on Coping With Loneliness While Living Alone
The following tips are suggestions that might be helpful to you. Take what you think would be best for you and use it and toss aside anything that's not useful to you:
- Be Patient With Yourself:
- Recognize that you're going through a period of time unlike any other time you've experienced.
- Lower your expectations about what you think you can accomplish in a day and have self compassion (see my article: Practicing Self Compassion).
- Be aware that, due to the stress caused by the pandemic, you might be more forgetful or less productive than you are under normal circumstances.
- Recognize that you might notice mood swings from day to day or even from one minute to the next due to the uncertainty of the situation.
- Be aware that all of the above issues are being experienced by millions of people and these are common reactions to living under these circumstances (see my article: Common Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Fear and Anxiety and Coping With Loneliness).
- Create a Schedule For Yourself
- Maintain a regular schedule that includes personal care (see my article: Stress Management: Taking Time for Self Care).
- Be aware that trying to normalize your day as much as possible might not eliminate your loneliness, but it will help you to feel as much in control as possible while creating a sense of stability in your life while living in a time of uncertainty.
- Start your day with an intention for what you would like to accomplish and, once again, be patient with yourself if you accomplish much less than you intended (see my article: The Power of Starting Your Day With an Intention).
- Stay Informed in a Balanced Way
- Get important information that keeps you up to date about the pandemic.
- Limit the amount of time you spend watching, listening or reading the news because too much exposure to the news can becoming overwhelming, especially when it's presented in a dramatic or anxiety provoking way.
- Sign up for online courses, if you're interested in online learning, to learn something new and expand your horizons. There are many colleges offering free courses during this time. If this doesn't interest you or you find that you're unable to focus, be patient with yourself.
- Stay Active
- Make part of your self care routine being active, especially since you're probably much less active outdoors or at the gym than you were before.
- Find online exercise videos that are right for you. This will not only help to keep you fit, it will also help to boost your mood.
- Take walks outside, if possible, while taking the necessary precautions of social distancing, wearing a mask and other recommended precautions.
- Maintain Healthy Habits
- Eat nutritious meals. Although many people who live alone have the attitude that it's not worth making meals for themselves, now more than ever, it's important to maintain healthy practices and this includes healthy meals.
- Limit alcohol and other unhealthy substances or compulsive habits.
- Shower and groom yourself every day whether you're going out or not. You'll feel better.
- Stay Connected
- Make an effort to stay connected with loved ones by video chat or by phone (see my article: Reframing Social Connection).
- Recognize that, even though connecting online isn't as emotionally rewarding as seeing your loved ones in person, it's better than not having any contact at all.
- Plan to share a meal together, have a wine party, share a birthday or celebrate an occasion online.
- Make Meaning Out of Your Experience
- Look back on prior experiences where you overcame obstacles. Although the current time is unprecedented, you can look back on challenging times and remember the strengths you had to get through.
- Find meaning in the current situation in terms of your beliefs and values (see my article: Finding Meaning in Your Life).
- Look For the Silver Lining in Your Current Circumstances
- Find things to feel grateful about. This is one way to maintain a balanced perspective. No matter how small it might be, there are usually things to feel grateful about (see my article: Is It Possible to Feel Gratitude Even When You're Sad?)
- Keep a daily list of things for which you feel grateful--no matter how small (see my article: Keeping a Gratitude Journal).
- Maintain a Balanced Perspective About the Future
- Try not to allow your fear and anxiety overwhelm you. This is often easier said than done, but to the extent that you can control negative thoughts about the future, you can try to maintain a balanced perspective about the future.
- Remember times in the past when you feared the worst and the worst didn't occur. Although you don't know what to expect in the future, if you dwell on the worst case scenario, you're going to overwhelm yourself, weaken your immune system and, possibly, get sick (Resilience: Remembering Your Comebacks During Stressful Times).
- Practice bringing your attention to the present moment, whether you do this through meditation, prayer, a breathing exercise or anything else that is calms you.
Getting Help in Therapy
During this time of uncertainty, many people with unresolved trauma are being emotionally triggered, and they're finding relief in therapy (see my article: Reacting to the Present Based on the Past).
Most therapists are conducting therapy online to make it accessible to clients while therapists are out of the office due to the pandemic. Online therapy is also known as teletherapy, telemental health and telehealth (see my article: The Advantages of Online Therapy When You Can't Meet With Your Therapist in Person).
If you're feeling overwhelmed, seek help from a licensed mental health professional to get you through this difficult time.
About Me
I am a licensed NYC psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT and Somatic Experiencing therapist (see my article: The Therapeutic Benefits of Integrated Therapy).
I work with individual adults and couples.
I am providing teletherapy sessions during this time when I am out of my office.
To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.
To set up a consultation, contact me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.