The Epidermic of Loneliness a detrimental effect on Mental Health

Ivan Muhire
Jul 30, 2021
2 min read

The COVID 19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on people. Forbes in an article on Global challenges for 2021 rated the epidemic of loneliness as the second global challenge. With lockdown enforced many have been affected, it wasn’t as business as usual with the restrictions in movements and gatherings had a great effect on humanity since many were not able to connect with friends and family on a face to face basis.

God created us as social beings, right from creation time God saw it was not good for man to be a lone and so He created a suitable partner meaning God saw man was lonely and I guess He identified the effects of loneliness on man. So what is loneliness according to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, loneliness means being without company, cut off from others, sad from being alone. Here, are some of the effects of loneliness.

Social Anxiety

A chronic mental health condition in which social interactions cause irrational anxiety.

Depression

A mood disorder that is marked by varying degrees of

paranoia

**That feeling that you’re being threatened in some way**

dementia

Do you know that one can feel lonely even if one doesn’t feel like. Here are signs that one is lonely.

Constant feeling tired. Most times one finds themselves over yawning.
One cares a lot about material possessions. Materialism and loneliness are linked
A tendency to binge-watching. A study done at University of Texas at Austin found that loneliness and binge-watching TV are linked in some way.
Feel like you’ve been stressed than normal. According to psychology today a lonely individuals report higher levels of perceived stress even when exposed to the same stress as non-lonely people, even when they are not.
Spend a lot of time on social media. It said those who spend more than 2 hours a day on social media are twice likely to feel lonely than those who spend 30 minutes or less on social media platforms
Weight gain. It said there is an association between overeating and loneliness
Tendency to hangout with fellow lonely people. Loneliness is contagious. Take note you re 52% more likely to feel lonely if someone you are directly connected to is lonely.

With that said how can one cope with loneliness during this COVID 19 period.

Share your feelings

Talk, Talk! it may seem that you are exposing your vulnerability but remember hearing a familiar voice or seeing a friendly face makes us feel less isolated.