I understand, many of us have experienced the mental health impact of loneliness during the pandemic. It’s important to recognize and address loneliness, as loneliness can lead to depression, deteriorate your physical health and even cause physical pain. Thinking you’ve ‘lost all your friends’ is just a thought – try challenging that belief. Ask yourself is this a bias in my interpretation, because of the forever lockdown, or actual reality? What relationships can you choose to work on to re-build or salvage?
Take the first step and reach out again to that friend. Spend some time thinking about your common ground with ‘lost’ friends. Remember, that many people are in the same position as you, feeling isolated or as if they’ve lost touch with their circle. Use this as a chance to revisit what matters to you and take a good look at your values. Then, start taking active steps to bring those values back in your life – with involvement of others when safely possible. Protect your mental health (or make it stronger) in other ways, as you work on rebuilding social connections. Remember you’ve had friendships before, so you can have meaningful friends again and fight your loneliness. And while we are waiting for the world to open up in full, make a commitment to mental fitness with one simple, reachable goal. Even if you do one positive thing a day for your mental health, you’ll be heading in the right direction.
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