Following COVID many of us found ourselves locked indoors. Some of us were with family, flatmates or even alone. But not being able to go outside was debilitating for many of us. Access to parks, gyms and school was restricted which made many people feel claustrophobic. For some, the pandemic made them more anxious and paranoid, so they stayed inside. When looking at the repercussions of COVID we find up to 30.9% of people stated that their well-being had decreased because they felt lonelier within that week. Even for introverts’ solitude can feel enjoyable, however if you don’t socialise at all, there can be repercussions on your mental health.
Why Loneliness is so important
From an evolutionary perspective, isolation can be seen as detriment to our survival. The result of constant isolation is loneliness, this has been identified as a key evolutionary response to a lack of social interaction. It can be seen as a basic need for humans, along with needing food, water and experiencing pain. If we look at our ancestors, they had a better chance at survival in groups. For example, if we were alone in the wild, predators such as tigers and wolves would have taken us out. Even so, not only did it help with our survival, but it helped keep the safety of our children and family alive if we disappeared. Because the feeling of loneliness is deeply embedded to us, as it aided in our survival we can see why its so important to remain in contact with people.
When it’s healthy
Being isolated is not always a bad thing. Depending on your circumstances it can be very justifiable. Also, each person has different social needs. Research has found loneliness can be up to 45% heritable. This would explain why people vary socially, it means you could be more inclined to introversion or extroversion. For those that are more introverted you would find you prefer to be alone more often, whereas for extroverts you will want to socialise more frequently. Moreover, isolation can be caused for different reasons. We will list a few reasons when it is fine to not socialise as much:
- Having a breakup.
- Loss of a loved one.
- Recharging after a social event.
- Taking a holiday/break and relaxing at home for some time.
- Losing a job
- Having a disability
- Mental health issues.
We don’t need to worry about staying indoors every time but for some people they may not have as many reasons to go outside as others. For those that are dealing with mental health issues it can be better to receive support if they appear ongoing. But there are some other options.
Getting out there
If you are staying inside because you’re dealing with mental health issues, or you just have difficult circumstances there are many approaches you can take. You don’t always need to interact with people when going outside, but its important to at least try leaving the house.
For mental health
- Take a walk in the park. You could go for a short walk to the local park, studies have found that just sitting in a forest for 15 minutes can lower your stress. Perhaps you could go with someone or if you’d prefer not to go by yourself.
- Gym. For many exercises has become a great way to deal with stress, after working out your cortisol goes down significantly and getting fitter will give you more energy as well as make you feel more confident.
- Meditation. Doing meditation can help you cope with stress better. It can change how your brain responds to stress but make you more self-aware. This helps you understand your emotions better.
- Seek a professional. If you’re experiencing very strong emotions, or you don’t feel like you can stop your stress you can always go to therapist. Seeking therapy can be a great way to talk to someone about what you’re feeling. Your therapist can give you coping strategies and point you to support too.
- Take a walk in the park. You could go for a short walk to the local park, studies have found that just sitting in a forest for 15 minutes can lower your stress. Perhaps you could go with someone or if you’d prefer not to go by yourself.
- Gym. For many exercises has become a great way to deal with stress, after working out your cortisol goes down significantly and getting fitter will give you more energy as well as make you feel more confident.
- Meditation. Doing meditation can help you cope with stress better. It can change how your brain responds to stress but make you more self-aware. This helps you understand your emotions better.
- Seek a professional. If you’re experiencing very strong emotions, or you don’t feel like you can stop your stress you can always go to therapist. Seeking therapy can be a great way to talk to someone about what you’re feeling. Your therapist can give you coping strategies and point you to support too.
Meeting people
If you want to get back in touch with friends or just meet new people here’s some recommendations on where you could start.
- Finding a support group. For people who are dealing with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues, it could help to join a support group. This is a group of people who are sharing a similar experience, you would all sit down and discuss your experiences together to provide emotional support. Not only does this help you with stress but by meeting people who are in your position you may find new peers and a more positive outlook.
- Meet with friends. Just going out with people who you haven’t seen in a while can give you huge relief. You could even discuss how you’ve been feeling with your friends to see what they think, many of us don’t realise how much support is available from those around us, if we would just ask.
- Voluntary Work. Helping a community/company by doing voluntary work is a great way to meet a range of different people. Just socialising in a new environment can be very refreshing.
- Try a hobby. Whether you’ve had a specific hobby for years or don’t have one at all, this is a useful way to find an engaging activity that you can enjoy with others. Doing this will offer loads of different opportunities. For instance, a hobby can open career opportunities, you can compete if it’s like a sport or you could use it as an outlet if you’re anxious.
- Find a forum. Finding an online community can be a good way to meet more people while you still at home. If your socially anxious you may find its easier to talk on a forum until your comfortable enough to meet in person.
- Go to events. If your alone or have friends, going to an event can a spontaneous way to meet more people. Going somewhere like a concert or a club can be overwhelming for many, but you will always find people that you can conversate with.