Fighting loneliness during Covid-19 

The Covid-19 crisis has changed our societal landscape and it’s uncertain how social isolation and quarantine measures will need to be implemented in the long-term to fight the virus. It’s not a welcome thought, but this new mode of living could extend to many months. There will be significant mental health costs, as social isolation interacts with the problem of loneliness.  

A public health threat in its own right, loneliness creates problems for the mind and body, including depression, anger and anxiety. It also increases the risk of serious health implications such as dementia, stroke and heart disease. These findings have prompted a recent wave of campaigns to try and combat loneliness, but this fight, like so many other societal initiatives, has been viciously interrupted by the arrival of Covid-19. In a world turned upside down, the best course of action for the population is now one that inherently induces loneliness.

Everyone will cope with home confinement in different ways. Some may be isolated with friends or family. Others are enjoying the flexibility of working from home, free of the daily commute and able to spend time with flatmates. But for the millions of individuals in the UK living by themselves, the prospect of social isolation will be daunting, since it could mean days on end without any human contact. This is particularly worrying for the vulnerable individuals, many of whom are elderly.

We must take the lessons from research into loneliness and apply them. This is already happening in many organisations and communities. Workplaces are now for instance focusing efforts on building mental health support teams or designated wellbeing hubs that can support their employees. Ad hoc community groups have been set up to provide aid to the elderly and other vulnerable groups who are alone during the crisis.

We should support these projects wherever possible. But importantly we should also remember that alleviating some of the most damaging effects of social isolation does not require heroic action or mass organisation — everyone can help in their own way. Something as simple as a regular phone or video call to someone you know who is living alone can be of huge benefit.

In the virtual workplace, loneliness can be alleviated by online replications of social activities where colleagues can simply catch-up on video rather than working through an agenda or task sheet while cut off at home. The advantages of technology and free conference services such as Zoom and Google Meet extend far beyond their use for flexible working. They can sustain human relations in a period where these relations are being tested. 

So while the expertise of doctors and epidemiologists feels distant for most people, the battle against Covid-19 is truly for each and every one of us. This is particularly the case when it comes to loneliness. By reaching out to one another and to those who are in total isolation, we reduce risk of allowing an already existing public health issue to severely worsen. Amid the turmoil of Covid-19, this seems like both the smart and the right thing to do.