6) Ensuring Best Writing Practices

@richuyulin

I am amazed by the words that you used in this short article here. The statistics and facts you put in here is also appealing for the audience to read it. If I could suggest or give feedback for your article maybe you could state what are your tips and tricks to cope with loneliness such as connecting ourselves with our loved ones, find a hobby that you enjoyed doing alone and any other tips you got in mind or maybe you found in other websites. Please make sure to put the websites links in the sources link as well if you would like to include the point into your article. Other than that, I have no comment for it as it's amazing as it is. Keep it up and all the best for your final article!

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alternatives to Social Gatherings

Studies have shown that loneliness increased during the pandemic, and that having social interactions is especially important to your mental health. So, how can you avoid loneliness during the pandemic? There are some alternatives to social gatherings that might benefit you. These alternatives include but are not limited to: planning virtual gatherings, writing letters, and playing online games together. The Center for Disease Control also points out that social gatherings are possible to have safely. To keep them safe, you can have the gathering in a well-ventilated area (or outside), encourage everyone to wear masks, and keep the gathering shorter than usual.

Pai N, Vella SL. COVID-19 and loneliness: A rapid systematic review. Aust N Z J Psychiatry.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Small public gatherings (who.int)

@VioletFields003

This was very concise yet informative and pertinent.

I would highly suggest using Grammarly to help write better sentences and punctuation.

Good information and had shown the reliable sources but the paragraph isnt concise at all like your structure is weird

Coping With Loneliness During The Covid-19 Pandemic

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, life literally turned upside down. To date, well over 6.8 million people were wiped from the Earth. Those "fortunate" enough to be alive feared for their safety and the lives of themselves and of their loved ones. They struggled to find peace; and happiness became a thing of the past. I mean, how could one find happiness in the midst of so much death and depression? While it may seem like an impossible answer, I'm here to tell you that there are several ways to cope to be able to experience just a bit of joy... Read on...

(to be continued)

Source used: WHO Coronavirus Dashboard [https://covid19.who.int/]

@YourCaringConfidant

Hey Desiree, I loved your introduction to the paragraph writing exercise ⭐ It has a friendly yet professional tone, and you did a great job incorporating statistics and adding references. However, since it is an exercise, not a part of your final article, it could have been better if you tried to mention about loneliness and just a few ways to cope with it in your paragraph here 🌻

@GloriaD Thanks for the feedback. I actually opted to do this topic as my article. I literally only gave the intro here, lol. The actual coping suggestions are mentioned in my actual writing. :) Once again, thanks for taking the time to respond to me. <3

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19

4 Different Ways to Alleviate Feelings of Loneliness

(https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-gray-long-sleeve-shirt-sitting-on-brown-wooden-chair-5255996/)

The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the biggest global crises we have ever faced, with its major impact on economies, societies and different industries like health, technology and tourism. When talking about the pandemic's effect on physical health, it's natural that mental health would also be affected, just like in any other crisis. One common feature of the pandemic was loneliness, caused due to social distancing rules and fear of the virus. Since social connectedness is a core component of our well-being, isolation adds to our psychological distress, further increasing any feelings of anxiety and depression. What we can understand from observation is that feelings of loneliness are normal since many tend to experience it in such a situation, and that there are certainly ways to alleviate these feelings. You could try :

1) Doing more of your hobbies - Make a list of all the things that interest you, no matter how big or small. This can include reading books, listening to podcasts on apps like Google Podcasts, watching movies and TV shows, exercising, taking a walk outside when possible and much more. Practicing hobbies is a good way to pass time and feel energized, which is very true for me and many others whom I know!

2) Learning something new - In case you have more time now than before the pandemic, you can try free online courses such as edX and FutureLearn, learn a new language through apps like Duolingo, learn a new instrument. Learning new skills or gaining knowledge can help you feel productive, satisfied and motivated to do many more activities in your day, and will benefit you in your personal and work life.

3) Finding alternative ways to stay connected with your loved ones - Now comes the social part! There are many ways to communicate with your family and friends, even those whom you haven't spoken to for a long while. You communicate through phone calls, messaging and social media apps like WhatsApp and ***, and video call platforms like Google Meet and Zoom, which are becoming more popular since the shift from offline to online. As mentioned earlier, your loved ones are most likely feeling similar to you and listening and talking about such feelings can reduce your own distress and increase social bonding.

4) Connecting with new people, providing support to others or seeking support - There are many offline and online clubs and communities that you can search for, where in my experience, 7 Cups is one such mental health online platform where you can do all of the above three. You can meet new friends, volunteer your time by listening to and helping others' or seek support from your listener peers. Expanding on the point of seeking support, you can search for mental health professionals on 7 cups and other websites who can help you with a wide range of mental health topics, including loneliness. You could also try mental health apps like Calm (for relaxation techniques) and Daylio (for journaling thoughts and feelings) that help improve your psychological well-being. I remember discovering these apps during the pandemic and because it helped me feel better, I shared this idea with everyone I knew, including you!

It may take some time to figure out which of the above are beneficial to you, since everyone differs in personality and how they experience loneliness. So try having a mixed approach and keep trying. We are not alone in our struggles due to the pandemic, and it is definitely possible to feel better while we search for ways to cope.

References :

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/tips-to-manage-loneliness/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7306943/

https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/coronavirus/coping-with-loneliness-during-coronavirus/

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-mental-health-cannot-be-made-light-of

Article written by : GloriaD (A Verified Active Listener on 7 Cups)

@GloriaD

The *** next to Whats App is Face Book.

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

From a mother's health perspective on giving birth alone

With all the restrictions in place due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, some hospitals have restricted partners or support people to be present at the time of regular prenatal appointments and at the time of birth. Going through this emotionally and physically demanding experience alone without having someone you trust to facilitate and support you at such a vulnerable time can not only be daunting but severely isolating.

In 2011, mental health specialists devised the NESTS strategy which can especially be useful during the challenging times we are facing due to the pandemic. This self-care routine needs to be in place during pregnancy, birth and postpartum to reap maximum benefits and to be able to combat the feelings of loneliness while going to prenatal appointments, giving birth, or staying at the hospital.

A healthy mind and body will help you deal with alleviating stress and anxiety that is compounded by the fact that you are alone at such a crucial time in your life.

The different components of the NESTS strategy focus on:

N-nutrition

E-exercise

S-sleep

T-time for self

S-support

Sources:

Self-Care for New and Expectant Mothers in the Pandemic, Najma Khorrami, M.P.H., and Homa K. Ahmadzia, M.D., M.P.H.

Haring, M. et al. 2011. Coping with depression during pregnancy and following the birth: A cognitive behavior therapy-based self-management guide for women. British Columbia Reproductive Mental Health Program.

This is just an introduction. I would continue elaborating on the different components of NESTS strategy.

@ivorySea989 I love the start if this and love how you have started to highlight NESTS. It's clear and concise and easy to read. One area for improvement would be to add a little bit of description of each part of NESTS as it may flow well into the rest of the article.

Loneliness can appear at any point in your lifetime. Since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has come around, less of us have seen our friends or family, which has lead people to feel lonely, especially the people who have been shielding and isolating.

Adapting to the changes can be difficult to face, and since the pandemic you might be feeling like it is more difficult to connect with the ones you love. It is completely natural to go through the feeling of loneliness, it's important not to blame yourself for feeling lonely or feel like you are struggling. The feeling of loneliness and difficult feelings can pass.

Different things work for different people when it comes to dealing with loneliness and difficult feelings, so it's important to find what suits you.

Source - https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/coronavirus/coping-with-loneliness-during-coronavirus/

@Raspberrycheesecake

starting seems good and easy to understand

tip - you should add title for it and at least 1 coping method even if this was just a paragraph as it just credibility to your work

@SoulfullyAButterfly

During COVID-19 Psychologists reported the greatest increases in treating anxiety disorders.

You can see the full article detailed about dealing with COVID-19 loneliness and Its related depressions and anxieties statistics by dates.

https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/practitioner/covid-19-2021

because of quarantine, we got insufficient socialization face to face. Frustration is also related to loneliness impacted by Covid-19.

How do we support ourselves with that to cope with feeling lonely?

- Care about your mental health. It's really important to get help for yourself and I'm glad in today's world it's possible online. Search for support. I've seen 7cups.com where they offer both free volunteer support and membership counsellor support. Also free self-help guides.

- Have a pet, especially vaccines. Pets can also carry COVID. Pet can't replace socialization with humans but it can make us less lonely. A psychological report said pet owners feel less lonely than without pet people. Here is the link for full details:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1994.75.2.747?journalCode=prxa

- Take care of your physical health cause taking care of your body soothes your mental health and focuses on yourself.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

mention which area you are interested in developing content for and why

I'm interested in developing content anxiety cause most of the symptoms are related to anxiety or caused by anxiety.

@Healthylistener0123 sorry, mistakenly I've replied to this thread. I don't know how this forum come.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 led to social distancing and lockdowns in 2020, causing changes in people's lives. Studies suggest that loneliness was present before the pandemic and only increased slightly during it. Loneliness is linked to personal characteristics, such as gender, mental health, and expectations from relationships. Collectivistic and individualistic cultures may also affect loneliness levels. However, incomplete studies make it difficult to determine whether loneliness increased or not.

Sources https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2022-59604-001.html

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13607863.2021.1875195

The outbreak of Covid 19 brought with it a lot of changes, because of social distancing and lockdowns that happened in 2020. There was a research that has shown that social isolation and loneliness were present before and only increased slightly during the pandemic. Loneliness is not just connected to social isolation, it is connected to the personal characteristics of a person, their gender, mental health, need for contact, and expectations from relationships. We also must bear in mind our surroundings, whether we live in more collectivistic countries such as those in Southern and Central Europe, rather than individualistic countries of Nothern Europe. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer if the loneliness increased or not since many studies conducted seem incomplete.

@JusticiaPrimalDorogo

The following passage is very informative. However, the use of suitable title can highlight the central idea of the passage.

Sorry, wrong version. My text is the one below. This is an example from Chat GPT.

@JusticiaPrimalDorogo

I think you did a good job with stating facts but I think you might need to make it a little longer?

Thanks!

How can you cope with loneliness during pandemic in less than 4 hours

-xyz

loneliness is being alone without anyone to talk to. The social distancing, constant

work from home led people to get overburdened with online work. In the process people

experienced poor quality of interaction or no interaction between colleagues and

their family. Even some lost their presence due to being remote work constantly. That

led to drop in the motivation and desire of people .

Coping methods to relieve stress and loneliness

-playing games , joining a group with similar interest like an online dance class .

- singing online with friends on app like starmaker app

- write a diary like you are talking to a friend

link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6C8N-lRd4o

@Skansly

its a lovely response! I loved how you added ways to overcome lonlieness! Maybe next time we can add links or facts about lonlieness!

Bunny

@SoulfullyAButterfly

“Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

In 2020 the Coronovirus pandemic had lead to a global lockdown with everyone at home. This caused multiplie cases of lonlieness during the pandemic causing anxiety and a lack of social life. Many children sitting at home doing school work on a screen, adults working at home and many elderly struggling.

"“I was surprised at the degree of loneliness among young people,” said Richard Weissbourd, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) who helped lead the research. “If you look at other studies on the elderly, their rates of loneliness are high, but they don’t seem to be as high as they are for young people.”

Lonlieness during the pandemic had hit hard during the pandemic and many found that they were feeling anxious about the world around them. However there are many ways we can feel better or methods to get through this:

-Spend time with a Pet

-Video call with a family

- Cook something you love!

-Play games/watch TV

There are so many activities we can do to get through this together! We should take care of ourselves during rough times and make sure we are getting enough support. Together we will get through lonlieness, it can be really tough at times of uncertainty.

Bunny

sorry forgot to add the link:

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2021/02/young-adults-teens-loneliness-mental-health-coronavirus-covid-pandemic/

@amiableBunny4016 Hello Bunny, great job on doing the paragraph of the article! I love how you include a psychologist's opinion in your article. It gives an assurance and validity that feeling lonely is okay during the pandemic. One thing that can be improved is the typo of multiplie and lonlieness here. I would highly suggest using Grammarly to help correct the typos and grammar so that your article is more refined and the readers can understand it well😊

Staying Connected and Self-care Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought changes to our daily lives. With social distancing measures in place, it can be difficult to maintain social connections. We can feel disconnected and lonely, which can have a negative impact on our mental health and well-being. Lifespan developmental theories of socioemotional development suggest that increased relationship satisfaction and social well-being are a force that can be harnessed to improve mental health and well-being. In this article, we will explore the importance of staying connected and share various ways to cope with loneliness and isolation during the pandemic according to the International Psychogeriatrics. We will also talk about the importance of exercise and meditation as self-care practices. By staying informed and taking care of ourselves, we can navigate these uncertain times together with resilience and strength.

Sources:

Charles, S. T., & Carstensen, L. L. (2010). Social and emotional aging. Annual Review of Psychology, 61(1), 383–409. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100448.

Hwang, T.-J., Rabheru, K., Peisah, C., Reichman, W., & Ikeda, M. (2020). Loneliness and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Psychogeriatrics, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000988.

Lawler, M. (2023). What is self-care, and why is it so important for your health? EverydayHealth. https://www.everydayhealth.com/self-care/.

@kindEyes9789

Strengths: Very nicely and appropriately written along with sources that you have cited.

Areas for improvement: Your content was overall very good and there isnt anything that you could improve on. Maybe just try keeping the word limit to 100 (cuz that was the limit that was mentioned)

@Angelzz127 Great work. I like how you broke down your paragraph into a list, making it easier for the reader to follow. My suggestion would be to include a link to where you found the information from.

Loneliness is something that most, if not all of us experience at some point in our lives. However, the COVID 19 pandemic has made it more prevalent since we have had to social distance, making it far more challenging to interact with others in person, especially our loved ones. There are many ways that we can cope with the increasing challenges that loneliness has brought us. Some of them are utilizing social media, such as ***, to connect with our friends and family, doing video calls and meetings with people through Zoom, learning a new hobby through online tutorials which can be found on Youtube, and joining an online support community such as 7 cups. Socializing may be different than it was before the pandemic but it’s still possible to stay in touch with people. It can take some getting used to however and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed when we’re learning new ways of connecting.

Source: https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/coronavirus/coping-with-loneliness-during-coronavirus/

@VinylFly Oh dear I forgot my heading. It is:

Coping with Loneliness during COVID

@VinylFly

These were all great suggestions! ♥︎ Also love how you introduced your topic - I felt the empathy of your words.

@VinylFly

Hi VinylFly, I like this. Concise, practical, and useful.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

The Covid-19 Pandemic Isn’t Over For Everyone: The Immunocompromised and Coping with Loneliness

Storefronts are open to the public, restaurants are offering dining again, most employers have reopened office doors and many local and regional events are rushed with attendees who are relieved that the pandemic is over. But is it over for everyone? While life has seemingly began to move forward for many as Pandemic precautions are lifted, though these same confines have not lifted for those who are immunocompromised and those who spend time with them, loved ones and caretakers alike.

Why am I struggling? Why can't I just be okay?

According to Dr. Jay Van Bavel, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science of NYU, there are three areas that correlate with our overall sense of psychological well-being that are rooted in our most essential human needs of connection (socially and emotionally) and having a sense of control over our lives and its outcomes (Bavel et al, 2020). Dr. Ma. Teresa Tuason, who has analyzed the works of Bavel, explains that social deprivation itself, the feelings that surface from social disconnectedness and isolation, and our lost sense of control predict significant harmful impacts on our psychological well-being even without taking our physical wellness into consideration (Tuason et al, 2021).

In order to shed light on why this insight is so crucial is to understand that if you’re suffering emotionally from loneliness at this time, it’s completely natural. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not weak. You are human and having a completely realistic response to these circumstances. Once we embrace this truth, we can seek insight on how to confront and overcome these effects and cope with this loneliness. Because it is possible to, not only survive, but thrive during these times.

Based on research, those who became or remained resilient in the face of Pandemic-related uncertainty, focused on these 4 areas of coping (Tuason et all, 2021). These 4 areas are:

(1) Focus on where you do have control. What empowers you? What choices could you make, or activities you could pursue, that boost or maintain your health and confidence? Some ideas include: sitting or taking a walk outside for fresh air, taking interest in your nutrition, learning a new skill or hobby from the comfort and safety of your home, creating a sanctuary within your home, focus on emotional/mental/spiritual growth, etc.

(2) Healthy Distractions. Finding ways to cope that help distract your mind from dwelling on the challenges of your current reality. Some examples include: reading, writing, listening to music, watching tv or a movie, etc.

(3) Our Attitude Matters. When we keep a positive perspective, we are more likely to appreciate the good all around us and in our lives. Some helpful exercises to condition our mind toward having a positive attitude could be: keeping a gratitude journal, keeping a list of Acts of Kindness (received, performed by us, and witnessed between others), etc.

(4) Connect with Others, as per your comfort and safety. This may look like connecting with loved ones virtually, meeting new online friends from around the world, organizing get-togethers with trusted Covid-19 negative loved ones, or even seeking therapeutic supports online or locally.

Are you having difficulty finding therapeutic resources online? Here are some resources that may interest you that I encourage you to check out.

(Resources will be placed here later)

You can find more about the research of Dr. Bavel and Dr. Tuason and their teams below.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0248591#pone.0248591.ref013 -TUA

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0884-z -BAV

(Proper Citations will come later)

@zaatarHoney

I did forget to include Dr. Tuason's expertise and also my conclusion following the areas of focus for coping, ope! :) I failed to copy and paste my most updated version. I'm a great example of why drafting is a crucial component of the writing process and why editors exist, keke. ♥︎

@zaatarHoney

Hi Zaatar, this is great. Looks like you went "above and beyond," haha

@walkalot
😅 my brain struggles with casual. I have been called extra but usually within personality contexts, lol!! Thank you for reading my share.

@zaatarHoney

I think you did a wonderful job. i like how you included studies and included in-text citations. With that being said, i think it's important to find studies from reliable resources. great job overall :D

@heathermarie95

Hey! Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I completely agree with you! :) Especially peer-reviewed sources - it's so great when they're available.