CO-VID 19: A Plague of Loneliness

The following is a stream of consciousness about loneliness during CO-VID 19:

When I first sat down to write this article, my intention was to create a list of creative outlets which you can use when you're feeling lonely during your self-isolation. But the reality is, is that whilst we have access to these creative outlets, it doesn't stop us from feeling lonely. It might mask the feeling for a little bit, but that feeling is still there. I feel it. You feel it. We all feel it.

So how can we cure the people of the world from feeling lonely during their self-isolation? Is there even a cure? Now, I'm no psychologist but I don't think there is. And truth be told, I don't think there ever will be.

The first thing I do when I'm feeling lonely is to listen to a piece of music that relates to what I'm feeling or write it down in my many notebooks. Then I normally write a list of things to do, so that I have something else to focus on and a structure to my day. When I first started making these lists, I thought the feeling of loneliness would magically vanish but instead, it became stronger. Because my 'to do' list were all solo activities.

Sometimes, I'd watch my favourite movies or Tv shows. In these mediums, I'd see people meeting up for coffees, going to each others houses or even to going to a drama studio and teach, instead of from behind their computer. Watching them just made me feel incredibly sad and nostalgic that I can't do those things right now.

When I call my friends I feel slightly better but during the call I'm always reminded that we can't see each other at the moment. Just like when I get up in the morning and see that there's still a full bottle of orange juice left in the fridge, I'm reminded of how long ago it was that my best friend was over. There are visible triggers everywhere.

When I feel lonely, I like to look through old photographs and memories, whether they be virtually or physically flipping through one of the many photo albums on my bookshelf. I like to savour and take in all of the sensory elements of that particular memory and let it linger in my head for a minute or two.

When I feel lonely, i like to hug my dog's (who has unfortunately been deceased for nearly a year and a half) dogs collar and hold it close to my chest. When I feel lonely, I like to play something on my guitar or my friends ukelele which I currently hold in my possession.

We all do different things when we feel lonely because we all feel loneliness in different ways. But the moral of the story, is that we're all feeling this way so there's no reason to hide it. You admitting that you're feeling lonely doesn't mean that you're weak, it mean's that you're human. So, let's embrace it. Let's embrace how we are feeling instead of repressing it. Let's allow ourselves to grieve at having to stay locked up in our homes. Let's allow ourselves to lament, to cry and to yell. Let's allow ourselves to feel lonely because look around you. You are alone. But it is through sharing these experiences of loneliness, that you find connections. And that's what life's all about. Don't you think?