Loneliness and COVID-19

Weirdly enough, I never felt lonely. I think with zoom calls and constantly being in contact with my friends, albeit a few family, I never felt isolated. Plus I'm uber blessed to have a four legged roommate. Lol he got a promotion last year from pet to emotional support animal.

The only time it got hairy was twice. When three white men confronted me outside on the street and when I caught covid. The former made my blood turn to ice in my veins and the latter, well let's just say I just prayed I'd wake up and be part of the living
 
I have been working from home since March of 2020 (only going back to the office when needed). Due to the evolving restrictions, I have not had a dine-in experience nor had I seen my friends since August of 2020. However, I see my colleagues via Zoom a few times a week.

Lonely? Maybe not because I live with my husband and child. Stressful? Definitely! Sometimes, when my kid was sick she had to stay home and working from home with a little one running around did not help at all.

When I am stressed, sometimes I do retail therapy. This year, so far, I bought 2 rings. But, I haven’t bought a bag since December of 2020. Yes, I do have bags on my wish list, but they are expensive purchases that I don’t buy, unless they come in exactly the combination I have been hoping.
 
I do feel a bit lonely for part of 2020 because I isolated myself pretty well. Unless it’s zoom or phone or text, I rarely saw anyone irl and I felt that was best. The only thing that made it better was going into work—because everyone was working from home, I had a big ol’ building all to myself. I was able to go in, work, and then go home… giving a sense of routine that was normal pre-covid (except the lack of people but tbh even when they were there we mostly all just kept our head down and worked with the occasional water cooler talk or weekly meetings).

and somehow, miraculously the food/drinks that are always being delivered didn’t stop so I still had free food @ work that helped me save $.

2021 I had a job change, and a month paid off work in which I’d normally spend traveling but because of covid I didn’t. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve traveled within US more, mostly between the two coasts as precovid.

now I’m about to change again but this time no paid break. It’ll be a grind from here on out but I’m excited for it.

and I no longer feel lonely because I’ve started seeing friends/family (select few in “pod”) and will probably expand a bit more once we’re all fully vaccinated.
 
I am an introvert so some aspects of the pandemic have been ‘ok’ for me. I like that people no longer ring my door bell. I like that I no longer have to worry about my house and I looking our best when people come to the door. I like that I don’t have to entertain, at least for awhile the pressure there is off.
 
Honestly the pandemic changed nothing for me in terms of loneliness, it just felt more accommodating. My social anxiety made it horrible to go to class or go out etc, so being forced to stay inside, I felt validated. I mean it's still lonely, but I was just as lonely before. Where I live things are kind of "going back to normal" in the regard that everyones going out and about without masks and partying and stuff, and honestly I feel lonelier now bc during lockdown it felt like we were all in this together, now it just feels like I'm missing out on everything. I never leave my house regardless
 
Honestly the pandemic changed nothing for me in terms of loneliness, it just felt more accommodating. My social anxiety made it horrible to go to class or go out etc, so being forced to stay inside, I felt validated. I mean it's still lonely, but I was just as lonely before. Where I live things are kind of "going back to normal" in the regard that everyones going out and about without masks and partying and stuff, and honestly I feel lonelier now bc during lockdown it felt like we were all in this together, now it just feels like I'm missing out on everything. I never leave my house regardless

I can kind of relate. Except I didn't feel lonely. I genuinely enjoyed spending lot of solitude.. Covid shutdown made it felt like it was ok to enjoy solitude in a day and age where we're so engage and connected and made to feel like we're odd for not being more social.

Before the shutdown if I wasn't socially engaged or working 30 consecutive days without breaks I felt guilty. I mean part of it is me putting a pressure on myself..

Now a days I just feel purely overwhelmed.. Even with variants and immune evasions in the news it's like we're back to precovid.. and I'm getting pulled in every direction possible.. I also noticed that lot of new hobbies I took on are hobbies took on during a lockdown. It's like I need more of coping mechanism than during the lockdown did for a lot of people.

@hersheyscat have you try to do things on your own? I like taking hiking on my own and try to do a solo one every weekend. It's a mountain people do it as a workout and so many people go so completely safe.
 
I can kind of relate. Except I didn't feel lonely. I genuinely enjoyed spending lot of solitude.. Covid shutdown made it felt like it was ok to enjoy solitude in a day and age where we're so engage and connected and made to feel like we're odd for not being more social.

Before the shutdown if I wasn't socially engaged or working 30 consecutive days without breaks I felt guilty. I mean part of it is me putting a pressure on myself..

Now a days I just feel purely overwhelmed.. Even with variants and immune evasions in the news it's like we're back to precovid.. and I'm getting pulled in every direction possible.. I also noticed that lot of new hobbies I took on are hobbies took on during a lockdown. It's like I need more of coping mechanism than during the lockdown did for a lot of people.

@hersheyscat have you try to do things on your own? I like taking hiking on my own and try to do a solo one every weekend. It's a mountain people do it as a workout and so many people go so completely safe.

That's awesome that you enjoy the solitude! I get it. Its like finally I get to enjoy being alone without the stigma lol. Sometimes I enjoy it too, but its strange because I'm sort of an introverted extrovert. Like deep down I wanna be extroverted so bad and be around people, but my social anxiety holds me back. I feel like if I didn't feel "forced" to be alone (because of my social anxiety) I'd actually enjoy it. There's probably some psychology behind when something isn't your choice you hate it but if you got to choose then you'd probably enjoy it.

I definitely just feel so defeated with these new variants too. There's seems to be a new one every other week...It's getting really exhausting. My area is talking about doing another lockdown and its like...Man! COVID started when I was only a junior in high school! Now I'm in my second year of college lol. So it does sort of feel like I'm wasting these years of my life since as I was growing up I was so excited to experience college life, yet in actuality its just been a bunch of online classes so far.

I try to do things on my own but I don't enjoy it! It's so weird! If I'm with my family, we make jokes and talk about stuff and it keeps me company when I'm out. But now that I live alone, I try doing the same things (hiking, boating, golfing, etc) but doing it alone just doesn't feel right. Like I said its probably because I'm sort of an extrovert. I actually have no clue. Its so weird how I hate being around people but for some reason I despise being alone. I do draw though, I recently got in to modified studies and still lifes, and its really fun..But once again that's something I do alone in my room.

I'd love to get in to figure skating, I did it when I was way younger. That's something I think I could really enjoy doing alone. But now that I'm 19 and haven't done it in like YEARS I'm too nervous. I just feel way too old to start it up again, I feel like the experienced skaters in the rink who've been doing it since they were kids would judge me. I wish I could just rent out an entire rink for myself, now that would be nice!
 
I feel like everyone has a different social experiences quota. If I don't get any social experiences at all, I do tend to get lonely.
 
That's awesome that you enjoy the solitude! I get it. Its like finally I get to enjoy being alone without the stigma lol. Sometimes I enjoy it too, but its strange because I'm sort of an introverted extrovert. Like deep down I wanna be extroverted so bad and be around people, but my social anxiety holds me back. I feel like if I didn't feel "forced" to be alone (because of my social anxiety) I'd actually enjoy it. There's probably some psychology behind when something isn't your choice you hate it but if you got to choose then you'd probably enjoy it.

I definitely just feel so defeated with these new variants too. There's seems to be a new one every other week...It's getting really exhausting. My area is talking about doing another lockdown and its like...Man! COVID started when I was only a junior in high school! Now I'm in my second year of college lol. So it does sort of feel like I'm wasting these years of my life since as I was growing up I was so excited to experience college life, yet in actuality its just been a bunch of online classes so far.

I try to do things on my own but I don't enjoy it! It's so weird! If I'm with my family, we make jokes and talk about stuff and it keeps me company when I'm out. But now that I live alone, I try doing the same things (hiking, boating, golfing, etc) but doing it alone just doesn't feel right. Like I said its probably because I'm sort of an extrovert. I actually have no clue. Its so weird how I hate being around people but for some reason I despise being alone. I do draw though, I recently got in to modified studies and still lifes, and its really fun..But once again that's something I do alone in my room.

I'd love to get in to figure skating, I did it when I was way younger. That's something I think I could really enjoy doing alone. But now that I'm 19 and haven't done it in like YEARS I'm too nervous. I just feel way too old to start it up again, I feel like the experienced skaters in the rink who've been doing it since they were kids would judge me. I wish I could just rent out an entire rink for myself, now that would be nice!
You're never too old to learn something new. And it's always nerve wrecking but so so so exciting to learn something new! And the feeling of achievement? I say go for it. You want to? Do it! If it makes you feel any better.. we're all there with you. All of us are there feeling like we're not getting to experience something that we should otherwise. But the key is how you deal with it. And you'll get out of this with some good stories I bet :smile:
 
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