13 Tips to Cope with Social Isolation
Every week we are sharing special content to help our community cope with these hard times. Not too long ago, we were able to hang out with friends, hug our loved ones, and even greet each other with kisses or handshakes. Being unable to remain as close to others as we were before, presents us with one of today’s biggest challenges. For this reason, we have brought together the most important information you need to know about social isolation and loneliness, its effects, and the best tips and advice to help you cope during these lonely times.
First of all, it is important to understand that social isolation can have strong effects in our physical health and mental wellbeing. We are naturally social beings, so having to remain isolated from each other can lead to feelings of loneliness or depression. Today is the best time for us to start building emotional strength, so that we can come out of this situation stronger.
What does Social Isolation mean?
Social isolation is defined as a state where we temporarily lack contact with other members of our society. In contrast with loneliness, isolation can be measured, whereas loneliness is subjective and can only be experienced. For example, if we are surrounded by a group of people, we cannot be socially isolated physically, but we can experience feelings of loneliness. Being physically isolated from others can lead to feelings of loneliness. Both social isolation and loneliness can be painful and difficult experiences, which can have strong effects on our physical and mental health.
Effects of Social Isolation
Research has shown that social isolation and loneliness are more harmful to our health than obesity, smoking or abusing alcohol. Studies show that loneliness and perceived social isolation in adults can lead to depression, sleep disorders, a weak immune system, poor cardiovascular function, accelerated cognitive deterioration and increases the risk for premature death.
Combating social isolation is especially important for our children, since it can affect their stress responses and social behaviour. It can also damage the creation of support cells for the nervous system, which in turn can impair the development of the brain.
How to Cope with Social Isolation
The good news is that the effects of social isolation can be lowered by reducing our perceived loneliness and sense of isolation. Research has shown us that loneliness is frequently linked to dissatisfaction with different areas of our life. Therefore, boosting our satisfaction about our family life, our friendships or our productivity, for example, can help us reduce our sense of loneliness and perceived isolation.
We have gathered eleven ways to help you overcome this time of social isolation. Most of these revolve around self-care and boosting our feelings of self-worth and self-efficacy, which are severely affected when we feel lonely or depressed.
1. Stay connected in other ways
In today’s over-abundance of technology, we can find tons of ways to stay connected with our friends and family that don’t necessarily involve seeing them in person. We can chat or call, but even better, we can see each other with apps like FaceTime, Zoom, Skype or WhatsApp. You can use these to maintain social events, instead of cancelling them. If you were planning on attending a book club, a conference or a class, why not plan it online? You can still see other people, interact with them, and keep each other safe while staying at home.
2. Stay productive
Productivity is strongly connected with our moods and sense of self-efficacy. In turn, this has a big effect on our satisfaction with our own lives. Self-efficacy is our belief in our own capacity to control our motivation and behaviour to achieve specific goals. Having a high sense of self-efficacy means we believe we can perform in such a way that we feel constructive, helpful, positive and useful for our community.
3. Exercise
Exercise is the one activity with the biggest impact to our physical and mental health. It can help you boost your overall health and immune system, while giving you a blast of endorphins to boost your mood. Research has shown that exercising regularly in moderation can ease symptoms of depression and anxiety, help you regulate your sleep, and feel better about yourself and your body. There are apps that specialise in helping you work out form and YouTube channels that can help your children exercise from home, so that they can also get a daily dose of movement, boosting their mood and their health.
4. Create fun activities that distract you from worries and anxiety
Having fun is vital if we want to be happy and satisfied. We all have different ways to do this – you may enjoy singing, dancing, watching movies, playing games, drawing, knitting, doing puzzles, looking through photo albums… Do things you know you enjoy or be creative and try new experiences! Take time to immerse yourself in an engaging activity that can help you clear your mind and brings you joy.
*Pro tip: to boost your productivity, plan these fun activities as rewards after you have completed your daily goals.
5. Do things that lift your spirit
There are practices that can always help you lift your spirit, and when done consistently, they will slowly boost your mood. Some of these practices include gratefulness, positive thinking, or meditating. A great way to practice gratefulness is to keep a journal, where you give yourself 5 minutes every day to write about things you are grateful for. If you prefer to practice positive thinking and meditation, here are our favourite apps that we think you might enjoy:
Calm (Available for iOS and Android, itunes.com and play.google.com. Free with option for in-app purchases.)
Insight timer (Available for iOS and Android, itunes.com and play.google.com. Free with option for in-app purchases.)
Aura (Available for iOS and Android, itunes.com and play.google.com. Free with option for in-app purchases.)
6. Keep track of your supplies
In times of great uncertainty, it is natural to want to stock as much as possible. Being mindful of how much you actually need will help you use in moderation, and be conscious of your community, where there are many people in need. A good idea is to make a list of what you have, and what you need. That way you can make sure you have enough of what you really need and shop smarter so that your purchases can last longer.
7. Keep your home and place of work clean and comfortable
Keeping a clean and organized space goes a long way to a healthy place of mind. These days, working from home, we are usually working alongside our spouse and children. Therefore, it is a good idea to make sure everyone has their own working station, so that there are no overlaps and you can all be productive during working hours.
8. Have “away time”
Being stuck together for such a long period of time can make it difficult for you and your family members to feel like you can have privacy. For this reason, it is also recommended to ensure that everyone at home has their own space where they can have their own “away time” and have rest from socializing. You can use this time to meditate, read, or just relax. Doing this will help you keep the peace with other members of your family during times that can be a bit stressful for everyone.
9. See the bigger picture
Understanding deep down the reason why it is important to stay at home, even when it is tempting to go out, is vital for us to be able to remain socially isolated without resenting having to stay at home. Be aware of the consequences your actions may have for others. Even if you are young or believe the virus is something that “only happens to other people,” you can still be the cause why someone more vulnerable can catch it. Seeing the bigger picture and knowing that by staying at home you are actually helping save lives can allow you to see things in perspective.
10. Access to sunlight
Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins with a big impact on our mental state. Lack of vitamin D can cause symptoms that feel similar to depression, and they might make loneliness much worse. You can get vitamin D through sunlight, which you can get by direct contact when you open your window or step out to your balcony. Make sure you expose your face, hands and arms to the sunlight, but don’t stay too long, especially at noon or during summer – that way you can prevent skin burns.
11. Keep your mind engaged
Right now, we have a lot of free time to use at home. While it might be tempting to use it all up by watching tv or playing games, there are other activities you can do that will engage your brain and encourage your creativity. So, we recommend you take some time to learn a new skill, read a book, take virtual classes, practice a foreign language, or do something that challenges your mind, while still being fun.
12. Acts of Kindness
There is a lot of research into how engaging in acts of kindness reduces our loneliness. It can give us a sense of purpose and make us feel happy. You can reach out to people who are having a hard time or donate to charities that are also taking a hit under the current crisis.
13. See the benefits of Social Isolation!
Social isolation can present us with opportunities that we don’t usually have when we are so connected with the outside world. We have more time to be with ourselves, reflect upon our life and make the changes we need to become our better selves.
“When you’re part of a group, you’re more likely to go along with what the group is doing or thinking, which aren’t always the actions you would take or the decisions you would make if you were on your own.”
-Sherrie Bourg Carter Psy.D.
A bit of solitude gives you the time to think deeply, boost your concentration and increase your productivity. Especially during this crisis, it gives you a chance to apply your creativity and see how you can become part of the solution.
Do you have other tips to cope with social isolation? Let’s discuss them in the comments! We would love to hear from you and how you are doing through these times of social distancing.
Stay safe and healthy,
The Workaholics Retreats Team