6) Ensuring Best Writing Practices (OUTDATED)

@SoulfullyAButterfly

6) Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Heading: Impact of Loneliness During COVID-19 and How You Can Overcome It

COVID-19 has presented us with new challenges, especially when considering the aspect of loneliness and its negative impact on our well-being. It is now more important than ever to find solutions to address this issue. The following steps are intended to motivate you and help you deal with it in a healthy way:

• Humor: Watch funny shows or movies to lighten your mood; a good laugh with friends over a video call can also make a big difference in how you feel.
• Exercise: Regular physical activity, whether it's a home workout, yoga, or a walk in nature, can significantly improve your mental health and reduce feelings of loneliness.
• Sharing Feelings: What can help against loneliness? Expressing it and counteracting it. On 7 Cups, you have the opportunity to share your feelings with an active listener.
• Seeking Help: Lastly, please seek help if you feel like you can't deal with loneliness on your own. You might consider contacting us at 7 Cups, where we offer group chats, chats with trained listeners, as well as therapists who can assist you with the situation.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8138818/

@SoulfullyAButterfly

"Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic"

Feeling Disconnected? You're Not Alone

Social distancing measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic have been essential for curbing the spread of the virus, but they've also had a significant impact on mental health. Loneliness, a common human condition characterized by feelings of isolation and a lack of social connection, has increased dramatically during this time. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that over 3 in 10 adults in the United States reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression during the pandemic, with loneliness being a contributing factor [1]. While feeling lonely can be a discouraging experience, it's important to remember that you're not alone in this. Many people are struggling with similar feelings, and there are steps you can take to build connection and combat loneliness during this challenging time.

Source:

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, August 26). Percentage of Adults Who Reported Experiencing Symptoms of Anxiety or Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/85738

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Loneliness in Lockdown: how do we cope!

Covid-19 pandemic has very unexpectedly changed all of our lives. From gathering with friends, family, and colleagues in real life, our “real life” shifted to a virtual one. Physical isolation became a necessity and we seem to have slowly lost our connectedness. According to this article, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that mental health issues are rising with the pandemic. We have to address this issue and take care of our mental well-being in such a crucial situation. To cope with loneliness during this COVID era we should implement various self-care routines, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques. It’s undeniable that we all need to seek support from time to time. But we don't know where to turn. I am here to tell you that 7cups.com is a platform where emotional support is offered by trained active volunteer listeners. Now you can reach out when you think about venting or need to talk.

Here is the spin I took on this project, I hope you all enjoy!

@SoulfullyAButterfly

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Importance of Addressing Loneliness During the COVID-19

Feeling lonely during the COVID-19 pandemic is prevalent across the world, since we are isolated from others and, most importantly, our friends. Research has shown that loneliness was widespread in Europe, America and China, around 10-40%, even before the COVID-19 (Leigh-Hunt, 2017; Xia and Li, 2018 cited in Hwang et al., 2020). There are proven chances of developing many health conditions if we don't manage loneliness and isolation, such as: a heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, addiction, dementia, earlier death and more (CDC, 2023). There is hope to fix this issue of the society today, so let's learn to help ourselves and those we love by learning how to cope with loneliness and isolation.

SOURCES:

- Leigh-Hunt, 2017; Xia and Li, 2018 cited in Hwang, T.-J., Rabheru, K., Peisah, C., Reichman, W. and Ikeda, M. (2020). Loneliness and Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Psychogeriatrics, [online] 32(10), pp.1–15. doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/s1041610220000988.

- CDC (2023). Health risks of social isolation and loneliness. [online] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/emotional-wellbeing/social-connectedness/loneliness.htm.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

The COVID pandemic brought significant worldwide challenges and consequences. One of those outcomes was increased global loneliness. Loneliness constitutes a risk for premature mortality and mental and physical health, so it’s very important to keep it closely monitored. Lockdowns, physical distance, and switch to remote work and school all strongly contributed to increase in loneliness across the globe. Such measures undoubtedly increased social isolation, though social isolation does not always lead to loneliness. As a matter of fact, social isolation means having a small social network and few interactions with others, while loneliness is the painful feeling of having less or poorer quality social connections than a person wants.

Source: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2022/05/covid-19-increase-loneliness

Using the information you just learned, write a paragraph (minimum of 100 words) for the article topic “Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic” - as this is only a paragraph and NOT the complete article, state a brief heading which will inform the reader whether your paragraph is about a general introduction or something more specific. Ensure your paragraph contains facts. Please note that you are to mention your sources too, as well as a link to at least one source within the paragraph.

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pandemic Isolation Causes an Increase in Loneliness

To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Virus, countries worldwide have issued an order for everyone to stay at home. Students have to study from home and most working adults have switched to a Work From Home (WFH) arrangement. This change has caused a decline in face-to-face social interactions and caused an increase in loneliness. Killgore, Cloonen, Taylor, and Dailey (2020) did a research on 1,013 U.S adults by asking them to fill in the UCLA Loneliness Scale-3 and Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) 3 weeks after most states issued the stay-at-home orders. They found a total of 43% respondents who scored above the published cutoffs which is also strongly associated with greater depression and suicidal ideation. Due to the effect of loneliness on our mental health, we need to equip ourselves with the knowledge of how to cope with loneliness. By learning how to cope with loneliness, we can prepare ourselves to stay physically and mentally safe during the pandemic.

If you ever need support or a guide on how to deal with loneliness, you can read the 7 Cups guide about How to Deal with Loneliness here and connect with our listeners on 7cups.com

Source:

1. Killgore, W. D. S., Cloonen, S. A., Taylor, E. C., & Dailey, N. S. (2020). Loneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113117

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Effects of pandemic over our mental health: loneliness arises

Covid pandemic had a significant effect over our mental as well as physical health. According to research, feeling of loneliness deeply arose during covid and has been here even after the pandemic waves. Young adults, people with a limiting health condition, single or widowed people specially got affected through the lockdowns. Connecting with friends, exploring options and different hobbies at home, harnessing the power of internet, being creative, and avoiding all or nothing thinking would be super beneficial in that matter. 

https://www.manulife.ca/personal/plan-and-learn/healthy-living/wellbeing/solitude-and-isolation-during-pandemic.html

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

 How to best handle anxiety and loneliness  while on lock down

 Being stuck in a house for long periods of time without seeing people you know during the covid times can be tough

for sure.The cases of loneliness went up during that time. You may wonder if there is anything you can do to

combat  loneliness during being stuck inside for long periods of time.  In the help guide from HSS Education Institute it teaches how to deal with anxiety and social isolation during the covid 19 pandemic  years.  I can also show how to recognize signs  of  loneliness and anxiety so you can be aware of it. In later paragraphs I would go in more details on how to cope with loneliness  and anxiety using example of the article .

https://www.hss.edu/files/coping-strategies-covid-19-scleroderma-20200413.pdf