Fighting Loneliness During Quarantine For Everyone’s Health

Fighting loneliness during quarantine comes with fighting pandemics. With the latter, we social distance, wash hands, clean surfaces and wear masks. These protect us. They help us protect others too.

Fighting Loneliness During Quarantine On Two Fronts

Fighting loneliness has two fronts: we do it for our own health and for others’ health.

Fighting loneliness has the same two fronts. We ward off loneliness for our own health. We do it too for the health of others. Like the pandemic, when we fight loneliness for others we help ourselves too.

We do this through acts of kindness. They don’t need to occur face-to-face. Online acts work too. That means emails, texts, messaging and posts. Even old-style letters and cards do. Give compliments. Donate. Run their errands.  

Yes, alone time can be creative time. Cleaning remote spaces, sorting old things, tackling waylaid projects and the like can reduce our own loneliness. Helping others though with their fight against loneliness greatly helps us in our own fight.

The Epidemic Before The Pandemic

Fighting loneliness existed before the pandemic. Many have called it an epidemic. Quarantining only feeds it. Social media does too, compounding the unhappiness. Mobility and expectations have played roles too.

Yes, during the pandemic, medical professionals recommend checking on those at risk with the virus. Loneliness though has its own targets. The two don’t report to the same boss.

Family, Friends, Citizens and Strangers

Thus, fighting loneliness during quarantine is a major attack in a much longer and broader war. Yet, we help ourselves no matter how small our actions or how remote our link to another. Whether family, friends, citizens or strangers, any small act reduces their loneliness and ours.

So, help yourself. See how others are. Do things for them. Compliment them. Check in on those at risk. Check in on those who aren’t. Fighting loneliness during quarantine is about supporting others in their fight. It’s possible online from afar too. We don’t need to exist in the same space.

One day soon, the virus will leave us. Loneliness won’t though. It was here before the virus. It will remain after. Perhaps, on that day, the irony of this virus will be one of a world that is less lonely than when it came. It helped us set a new normal.