Winter can be a difficult time, especially when the weather robs us of our freedom. It’s not easy to travel when the roads are icy and temperatures plummet. Many people are afraid of falling and are therefore more indoors.
The pandemic that began in 2021 has brought with it a series of restrictions that tend to isolate people. The ones I have found most vulnerable are the elderly who live at home. They don’t have the benefit of personally interacting with others and often don’t have the computer skills to communicate. Unlike those who live in a condo, they don’t even get a chance to say hello to others or wave when they’re walking down a hallway or at the mailbox.
I’ve been thinking about those I care about who are struggling. Despite their good health and financial security, they feel desperately alone. A phone call is not the same as a hug, and having twenty-four hours a day without contact can be very empty.
There are four types of loneliness:
- Isolation – Feeling alone because friends and loved ones are far away.
- Separated – Having no family, friends or company.
- Dissociation: Being in a crowd of people but not connecting.
- Lack of purpose: having no one to care for or no tasks to perform.
Distance due to contagious disease is usually temporary. Retirement can lead to a period of disappointment. Death triggers grievance. Movement requires adjustment.
Although there are several factors that can contribute to loneliness, psychologists generally agree that loneliness is actually a state of mind. It’s hard to talk to someone about loneliness. That is just theory and will evaporate after the conversation. On the other hand, activity changes the focus and allows the individual to get involved in projects.
I am lucky that I have always been my best friend. I keep myself busy with things like cooking, crafts, music, and basket ball. Learning French keeps my mind sharp, and because I’m curious, I can use the Internet to research topics.
Here are some tips to help reduce loneliness:
- Find someone who is lonely and interact with them. So you solve two problems!
- Be aware of people who live alone in their own home and check in with them regularly.
- Think of your blessings instead of losses.
- Rejuvenate hobbies you enjoyed in the past.
- Say what you want, not what you don’t want.
- Join an Internet group of people with similar interests.
- Write your family history. This will keep you busy and will be a treasure for generations to come.
- Write a letter or phone one person a day who you can encourage.
- Find a new recipe and prepare it.
- Plan an activity you will do when spring comes.
My uncle, who was a Queen’s Bench judge, had a sign on his desk that read “I complained when I had no shoes. And then I met a man who had no feet.”
Change your mood and change your life!