Many people feel lonely right now. You may be separated from family and friends, separated from co-workers, worksites, and your usual patients or clients, spending time in self-isolation, or worried about spreading the virus to others. During pandemics, many healthcare workers also experience stigma from others who think they’ll get sick if they spend time with a healthcare worker. Any of these situations can take a real toll on your mental health.
Changes in how things are done—both changes at work and changes in your daily life—are constant reminders that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic and life isn’t the same. These changes can amplify difficult feelings like loneliness, uncertainty, fear, despair, and hopelessness. This is a normal part of any traumatic or challenging situation and you aren’t alone.
Loneliness can be particularly hard right now because we have to take public health measures into consideration. It isn’t just a matter of meeting up with a friend or joining a group to meet new people. While loneliness can be very uncomfortable, it’s a feeling. Simple skills and strategies to boost resilience can help lower the volume on feelings like loneliness and help you find well-being despite separation from people you care about.
Comments are closed.