Isolation isn’t the same thing as loneliness, a feeling where you long for social contact. Loneliness may happen as a natural consequence of isolation, of course, but you can have a thriving network of friends and loved ones and still feel lonely from time to time.
Still, like loneliness, isolation can have a far-reaching impact on your overall well-being. Read on to learn a few signs of social isolation to pay attention to, how it might affect your everyday life, and what you can do forge new bonds.
Due to the rise of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become pretty common for some people to spend entire days at home in solitude.
So, how do you tell the difference between social isolation and everyday life in the digital age?
Isolation is somewhat relative, but researchers generally consider signs like:
You may have thousands of Twitter followers, a large group of classmates you spend time with, or a whole Brady Bunch of a family tree. But you might still be socially isolated if you have a hard time connecting because you:
The structure of society means some groups of people are more vulnerable to isolation than others. At-risk groups include:
Social isolation can have major consequences for both physical and mental health.
ResearchTrusted Source links ongoing isolation to:
Your social life can affect your physical health for two main reasons.
First, isolation can make it less likely you’ll take care of yourself, since no one else offers support or motivation. According to the American Heart AssociationTrusted Source, people who are socially isolated tend to:
Isolation can also increase stress and inflammation. From an evolutionary perspective, being alone makes you vulnerable to predators and accidents. If you don’t have anyone to watch your back, then you have to stay constantly alert, which uses up precious mental and physical energy.
The less socially connected you are, the harder it becomes for your body to weather the wear and tear of chronic stress. Your inflammation levels rise as a result, which can damage your body’s cells and potentially contribute to health issues.
Isolation can also have a profound effect on your mental health. A 2021 studyTrusted Source examined how people reacted psychologically to stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study linked social isolation to:
As mentioned above, humans need company to help keep their stress levels in check. Without company, you may grow anxious or mistrustful of the world around you. A 2019 study found a lack of social stimulation can prompt your brain to become hypersensitive to sensory information, like the sound of doors opening. You may find that everyday sights and sounds now put you on edge.
Human contact also helps you maintain a sense of reality. Your sense of self is defined, in part, by how you interact with others. Without anyone to witness or react to your actions, you may start to feel like nothing you do matters. You may wonder where reality ends and your imagination begins.
Research from 2020 examining the impact of solitary confinement for people in correctional facilities found intense isolation can cause:
Granted, most people won’t ever experience the total isolation of solitary confinement. However, long-term social isolation can still lead to many of these symptoms, even without complete solitude.
If you’re thinking about suicide, you’re not alone. You can get compassionate, confidential support from trained crisis counselors by calling 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Helpline.Prefer to connect over text? Text “HOME” to 741-741 to reach a crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line.You can connect with these free helplines at any time: 24/7, 365 days a year.
In some cases, social isolation may happen as a sign of abuse. A romantic partner or caregiver may try to control you by limiting your contact with the world outside the relationship. This isolation ensures you depend on them and only them for all your needs, which gives them extensive power and control over your life.
Signs someone may be trying to isolate you include:
Here’s how to get help for relationship abuse.
Isolation can happen for many reasons, so some coping strategies may work better for your unique circumstances than others.
A few strategies to consider:
If you’ve moved far away from loved ones, face-to-face time can become sparse. But thanks to technological advances, you can stay connected through text, email, and video calls.
Research involving older adults in long-term care facilities found even a 5-minute weekly video call with loved ones may significantly reduce loneliness and help people feel more emotionally supported.
Pet ownership can go a long way toward helping reduce social isolationTrusted Source.
Animals don’t just offer unconditional companionship, they often also make great icebreakers — something you might already know, if you’ve ever visited a dog park.
ResearchTrusted Source involving older adults China found older dog owners were more socially connected than their peers, because walking their dog encouraged them to go outside and spend time with other dog owners.
Not all friendships and relationships can be salvaged. Maybe you serve as the family scapegoat, most of the people in your friend group regularly make homophobic remarks, or your partner consistently puts you down.
Sometimes, cutting ties with toxic people can do a lot of good for your mental health. If your current social network mistreats you, rest assured that other people out in the world will value and accept you as yourself. It may take some time to find them, but starting that search is an important first step.
Making the first overtures toward friendship could help you form new connections more easily.
Consider joining a pen pal program, mentorship group, or community center to reach out to other isolated people around the world.
You can also begin to grow your social circle by volunteering. According to one 2018 study, volunteering in itself can offer an effective way to expand your social network, especially when mourning the loss of a loved one.
Temporary isolation usually won’t have long-term consequences for your physical or mental well-being, and you can often take steps to manage it on your own.
That said, you may start to notice some effects after weeks or months of isolation. It may be worth considering professional support if you:
A compassionate therapist can help identify possible triggers and work to address both isolation and its impact on your health. Goals of therapy may include:
Here’s how to find a therapist.
Your social ties play an important role in your physical health and emotional well-being.
It may not always feel easy to form new friendships and relationships, especially when coping with life changes, health challenges, and other stressful or overwhelming circumstances.
But pursuing just a few social connections can make a big difference. If you’re not sure how to get started, a therapist can offer more guidance and support.
It is also important to take a rest. Being depressed can be very exhausting, so it is essential to regain strength and energy if one is to deal with depression. Relaxation techniques can help one be more attuned to the self and be more at peace. When resting, stressors should be kept away from the bedroom so that ample rest can be obtained.
Depressed people should also express their emotions. Depression usually results from suppressed emotions. People who are grieving can be prone to depression if they keep their emotion to themselves. A lot of people avoid crying because they think it might be a sign of weakness. However, it is important to cry because it releases one’s emotions. When expressing feelings, it is important to avoid catharsis – venting up one’s anger by doing something violent like boxing, smashing things, and the like. Catharsis does not release one’s emotion, especially anger. Rather, it makes a person practice violence as an expression of emotion, and thus can be very dangerous.
Hang around with friends and loved ones. Depressed individuals need support very much. Other people can distract one from stressors. People can also remind a depressed individual that there can be more to life, and it is worth living even if it is simply because of the company of wonderful people.
Lastly, it is important to believe in oneself. A lot of people get depressed because they put themselves down. It is important to satisfy oneself and gain a sense of self-worth. It is good to do something that would make one happy. Prioritizing one’s self can help one to believe that one’s own life is important and can be enjoyed. Being kind to oneself is one of the most important steps to get away from a depressive state.
Depression management is possible and entails taking charge of one’s self. When dealing with depression, however, it is important not to rush. Sadness does not disappear overnight; it takes time to get back on one’s feet. Little by little, one can get out of depression and have a normal life once more.
]]>
Anxiety depression is actually characterized by all sorts of irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it, this is usuallu due to certain stress triggers that may tend to easily cause a person undue jitters and stress. Also, a lot of people who tend to get easily nervous over stressful activities are actually prone to having anxiety depression, its just a matter of being strong-willed when it comes to facing difficult and stress-prone activities. It may be pretty hard to overcome at first, but trying to be calm and cool in times of extreme pressure is what’ll actually save your mental health from going totally downward spiral.
When it comes to effectively curing one’s self from a mental illness, one must keep in mind that you have to be actually honest with yourself and assess what kind of depression or mental illness you actually have, go to reputable psychiatrist to get yourself diagnosed correctly as well as be able to get the right depression treatment for yourself. Here are the various types of depression:
Manic or Bipolar depression – characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one’s mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the
next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell.
Postpartum depression – characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this.
Dysthimia – characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it’s been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately.
Cyclothemia – characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one’s moods.
Seasonal Affective Disorder – characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people
actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time.
But the type of depression that has actually been proven to be quite common among people is anxiety depression, which is actually characterized by the state of being overly anxious about things. Anxiety, a supposedly normal behavior that’ll actually help a person adjust more to a certain stressful activity like first date jitters or a grueling exam the following day. Anxiety actually helps you get psyched up towards facing certain “difficult situations”; anxiety therefore is actually a good thing. Anxiety depression however, is simply the opposite, not to be easily dismissed as a “case of the nerves”; Anxiety depression is in actuality an illness that can be caused from the biological makeup of an individual, or in other words, a hereditary illness.
Also, there are actually various types of Anxiety depression, each having its own unique characteristics. Take for example Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD, this kind of Anxiety depression is a lot more complicated than the average Anxiety depression, in spite of possibly being a day-to-day habit for those who suffer this kind of Anxiety depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually makes the individual quite more paranoid than usual, anxiety attacks are more frequent, even absurd at times. They can even be anxious even when there’s no apparent reason that calls for them to behave in such a way. People suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually shows a lot of symptoms, from lack of sleep, to being unable to relax, getting tired easily, cannot concentrate on what they’re doing and even suffering from depression. This kind of Anxiety depression is still curable; just a little work will actually do the trick.
Consult a reputable cognitive behavior therapist who’ll help give the individual the therapy that he or she needs to help him or her loosen up, also prescribed medicines are sort of a must to help these individuals battle anxiety attacks, help them calm down and relax.
]]>