Surviving the loneliness of Covid

People who engage in meaningful, productive activities with others tend to live longer, boost their mood, and have a sense of purpose.

Covid has brought many changes to our lives. Given that many of us are trying to stay around our homes more often, there might be some greater risk of social isolation and loneliness especially among older people.

Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks for a variety of physical and mental conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, and even death.

People who find themselves unexpectedly alone due to the death of a spouse or partner, separation from friends or family, retirement, loss of mobility, and lack of transportation are at particular risk.

However, people who engage in meaningful, productive activities with others tend to live longer, boost their mood, and have a sense of purpose. Apparently these activities seem to help maintain their wellbeing and may even improve their cognitive function — according to American studies.

So — what about other findings. Apparently “working for a social cause or purpose with others who share your values and are trusted partners puts you in contact with others and helps develop a greater sense of community” — this from a Dr Cole, quoted by the National Institute on Ageing in the USA.

Given my interest in the World Health Organisation’s “Age Friendly” initiatives, and given that Ka¯ piti is one of the listed New Zealand areas moving towards becoming more “Age Friendly” I was very interested in this article.

Following through by looking at the World Health Organisation’s “Checklist of Essential Features of Age Friendly Cities and Communities” there are sections on social participation, and also on respect and social inclusion.

As there are only eight sections to this document it is interesting to note that two are around the theme of social isolation and loneliness even though the titles are different. Being “alone” is a physical state where you are physically by yourself, while being “lonely” is an emotional state where you are feeling alone or disconnected from others — even when you might be right next to them.

So what might we do to avoid feeling socially isolated and alone? One piece of advice I came across suggested that having “interests hobbies and things that make you happy doing them on your own” and “something to give you a sense of purpose in life” are positives move forward.

I guess it is up to each of us to find something in which we are very interested — that will help us survive in these Covid times.