6) Ensuring Best Writing Practices

@SoulfullyAButterfly

I really enjoyed working on this one! Thanks for the lovely prompt, Soul 💜

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Effects of the Pandemic on Students

Students play a pivotal role in strengthening our society. Their youthfulness and passion are what makes them capable of changing the world. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of the students has been negatively influenced. And this led to a very concerningly noticeable academic downfall too. As a result of the survey conducted on 195 students, we found that 91% reported being adversely impacted by the outbreak. 71% of them experienced heightened anxiety and stress due to the, 89% said that they've been having a hard time concentrating, 86% underwent disturbed sleep patterns, about 86% highlighted decreased social interactions, and 82% voice their increased academic concerns. In another survey conducted by YoungMinds, we saw that 26% of 2111 youngsters were unable to access mental health support during this global crisis. Going by the statistics, it becomes easy to figure out that this outbreak has taken a severe toll on our students. There are quite a few reasons we can pinpoint here for the same: Loneliness due to lack of social interaction because of a purely online mode of education, stricken by parental unemployment, fear and worry for their well-being and of loved ones, and the list goes on. But how to support the very future of our society? We can support them by being there for them and listening to them. Giving them a chance to talk and explore the situation further can help them cope better. A few other things that can help are: Engaging in little self-care activities like journalling, painting, creative writing, and more, regularly, learning a new skill, joining online communities, schools and colleges taking measures to support the students better by making their academic schedule more flexible and organized as per realistic standards, conducting mental-health awareness online events for students, and many more. As they say, hope is the last thing ever lost. We're going through a tough time, but there's always hope for a better tomorrow! Let's stay strong, support each other, and we shall make it through together!

References:

1. Effects of COVID-19 on College Students’ Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study (nih.gov)

2. Mental health effects of school closures during COVID-19 - The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health

Coping with loneliness during the Covid-19 Pandemic

How to fight loneliness during covid-19

we understand that loneliness can affect anyone at any time especially during the covid-19 pandemic , i can feel that you miss hanging out with friends , going to the gym and iteracting with people , but there's some advantages of the current situation .

first of all during this times we got closer to our family or we can say the people we live with , we knew their importance in our lives and we do value them more

secondly , when we got more respect for self-care and time management by taking care of our diet , exercise and sleep we knew the value of our physical health and the importance of taking care of ourselves

besides , being in a close relationship with the social world , you can make new friends and learn new cultures and live some new experiences

Also , you might focus more on yourself and set for new goals , for example you can learn a new languages or gain some skills

During covid-19 quarantine i became closer to my friends by chatting with them via social media , i practiced yoga and i took some french classes online , i felt so proud of myself and honestly i liked so much this experience

these ideas are inspired from this this article i discovered , check it it might help you to think more positively

https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-021-00661-z

Using the information you just learned, write a paragraph (minimum of 100 words) for the article topic “Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

What can we do when feeling lonely during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The pandemic is hard, meetings with friends and family members are restricted, many activities are cancelled due to the pandemic as well. The feeling of loneliness is different than before, mixed with fear and frustration, it can get overwhelming at times and I totally understand that. Now here’s the question, how can we cope with loneliness? Before anything else, I think the main reason for the development of loneliness during COVID is that we are not able to interact with people as often as we would like. A solution to that is a video conference! According to MedicalNewsToday: 11 ways video calls may affect mental health, face-to-face discussions are said to be very effective when it comes to combating the feeling of isolation! Another cause of loneliness that is worth mentioning is the fact that when we are free, our minds begin to wonder. To prevent that, doing things that we like or that are meaningful can be a great distraction from the negative thoughts, self discovery also begins here!

Feel free to learn more about it:

How to Cope With Loneliness During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Loneliness during coronavirus

What you can do if you feel lonely during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

Coping with loneliness during self-isolation

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Identifying the reasons why you feel lonely
As someone who joined 7 cups because I was feeling extremely lonely during the pandemic, I understand the sadness and anxiety that might come with it, which is definitely not a fun thing to go through. While you might feel lonely, you’re definitely not alone! According to a survey of UK adults in late November 2020 one in four (24%) adults in the UK said they had feelings of loneliness in the previous two weeks. That being said, before learning how to cope with loneliness, it is important to set aside some time to recognize what causes these feelings. Perhaps you feel as though you’re “suffocating” during lockdown because you’re unable to go out and you’re constantly in the same environment? Perhaps you feel love-starved because you’re unable to physically see your loved ones? These are all very valid reasons and you might want to write it down in a journal for easy reference before you move onto combating loneliness.

Anxiety and COVID

During the pandemic, it has been noticed that people feel more anxious. The news, the media, and so on tend to overanalyze situations such as this one, that it makes many of us feel overwhelmed and even afraid. That is, because by overanalyzing such topics, it makes people feel unable to withdraw from these topics which makes them feel 'trapped' in this overload of information on a daily basis.

Multiple studies have even shown that the prevalence of stress is obtained as 29,6%, and the prevalence of anxiety as 31,9%.

In this article, there are many options to choose from to practice self-care during this pandemic. Some of them could be to:

Limit your media intake of COVID coverage. Of course, this doesn't limit you from keeping yourself informed of the pandemic in general. But it is best to avoid mindlessly spending time on the internet absorbing this pessimism coming from the media.

Maintain a schedule or routine. Keeping that routine flexible is understandable given the fluid circumstances, but avoiding, for example the temptation to often sleep in every morning could be helpful, as it leads to very often making us feel even more drained.

Practice daily gratitude. Research has shown that the balance of positive and negative emotions consistently predicts our well-being. Positive emotions such as joy and love widen our perception of sensation and depth of thought. A way to highlight these emotions is by triggering gratitude.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Gentle Ways to Cope with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many people feeling abandoned and alone. When we feel this deeply, it is not uncommon to experience abandonment issues, anxiety disorders, and depression. Unfortunately, according to Turhan Canli’s article, How loneliness can make you sick from apa.org, if these feelings of abandonment and loneliness aren’t reduced, longitudinal studies predict a cognitive decline in an individual. If you notice that your feelings are affecting your day-to-day activity, it may be a sign to prioritize your mental health. For more ways to cope with loneliness, read Simran Singh Simran’s article, I'm Lonely, What do I Do? Coping With and Conquering Loneliness: https://www.7cups.com/experts/article/im-lonely-what-do-i-do-coping-with-loneliness

Loneliness is Real

Are you feeling lonelier today than you have ever felt before? Do you wish that social distancing wasn’t a thing and we could all be back together again? Would you like to turn back the clock a few years when parties weren’t something to worry about but to enjoy?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you should know that you’re not alone. According to one study that was conducted by Medical News Today, about 65% of their participants reported feeling lonelier since the beginning of the pandemic. Unfortunately, loneliness is a reality today and we need to learn how to live with it.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Whether you are in the pro-vaccine or the anti-vaccine group, doesn’t everyone want to return back to normality? Social loneliness represents the lack of a social network that can give a sense of belonging which one would get from groups or being part of a community whilst emotional loneliness refers to the lack of attachment figures in our lives. Do you feel lonely socially or emotionally? Research in a journal article titled, “ Young adults’ coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece'' has shown that the difference in which males and females cope with loneliness during COVID-19 with Greek females having a significantly greater tendency to be open about their thoughts and feelings with others and less likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol as opposed to Greek males. Qualitative research which was mainly on female’s in the UK highlighted that missing physical touch from loved ones (e.g. hugs) and feeling unsatisfied with digital interaction (“You don’t have the visual cue of ‘Am I going too far, can- are they okay if I say this?”) can result in seeking reconnection (e.g. planning phone calls with other people) as a way of coping with any emotional distress.

In the age of the COVID-19, it's natural to feel lost, confused and lonely during these times with many unfortunate things happening like racism, bereavement, lack of social support, eating disorders and self-harm as unhealthy coping mechanisms used, self-soothing techniques such as Headspace, Calm, Breathe, Progressive Muscle Relaxation and music are ways to treat yourself.

Know you are doing the best you can. We are with you in this fight to feel good.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Communication as a Coping Strategy for COVID-19 Related Illness

Whether you are in the pro-vaccine or the anti-vaccine group, doesn’t everyone want to return back to normality? Social loneliness represents the lack of a social network that can give a sense of belonging which one would get from groups or being part of a community whilst emotional loneliness refers to the lack of attachment figures in our lives. Do you feel lonely socially or emotionally? Research in a journal article titled, “ Young adults’ coping strategies against loneliness during the COVID-19-related quarantine in Greece'' has shown that the difference in which males and females cope with loneliness during COVID-19 with Greek females having a significantly greater tendency to be open about their thoughts and feelings with others and less likely to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol as opposed to Greek males. Qualitative research which was mainly on female’s in the UK highlighted that missing physical touch from loved ones (e.g. hugs) and feeling unsatisfied with digital interaction (“You don’t have the visual cue of ‘Am I going too far, can- are they okay if I say this?”) can result in seeking reconnection (e.g. planning phone calls with other people) as a way of coping with any emotional distress.

In the age of the COVID-19, it's natural to feel lost, confused and lonely during these times with many unfortunate things happening like racism, bereavement, lack of social support, eating disorders and self-harm as unhealthy coping mechanisms used, self-soothing techniques such as Headspace, Calm, Breathe, Progressive Muscle Relaxation and music are ways to treat yourself.

Know you are doing the best you can. We are with you in this fight to feel good.

@SoulfullyAButterfly

Coping with Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Young Adults Seeing Loneliness In Epidemic Amounts During Covid-19

Youth of America have been highly susceptible to self-isolation amid the Coronavirus. A drastic change to purely remote learning has shifted the way young adults communicate with one another. The Loneliness Index states, “Younger generations are lonelier than older generations. Nearly eight in 10 Gen Zers (79%) and seven in 10 millennials (71%) are lonely, vs. half of boomers (50%).” Cigna_National_Loneliness_Survey

As a nation, how should we respond? Hope may lie within art therapy. Jeremy Nobel of the Center for Primary Care at Harvard Medical School, where he teaches a course on loneliness and public health., who recently founded The UnLonely Project - The Foundation for Art & Healing (artandhealing.org) and has responded to the pandemic with a “Stuck at Home (together)” website to provide free, arts-based support for individuals battling isolation, said that the creative arts, have been shown to have remarkable health effects.

Art gives a person a sense of accomplishment. Art inspires us toward achieving higher goals. It gives a sense of empowerment by spreading confidence to the artist. Last, it connects individuals, helping them to develop a sense of belonging and togetherness. Each skill helps society find peace and curve loneliness and self-isolation. We’ll find hope through Art.

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

UnLonely Project - The Foundation for Art & Healing (artandhealing.org)

Cigna_National_Loneliness_Survey.pdf (chapmaninstitute.com)