Recognize Social Isolation Effects: Take Action

Many of you were forced into isolation when in the trenches with Lyme.  I know I was. As you recovered and re-engaged with the world, you carried the tough memories of social isolation effects.  Now we have a whole new level of being alone due to COVID 19 social distancing guidelines. Sometimes, facing a challenge for the second time is a bigger problem than facing it the first time. It behooves us not to be undermined by social isolation again.

Are you staying in more than usual and missing family and friends?  No simple daily interactions with your barista or weekly dinner with friends making you feel isolated? Is being alone affecting your emotions, thoughts, and the choices you make each day?

Loneliness and Social Isolation Effects Impact Health

Don’t dismiss or compartmentalize, aka bury your feelings. Prioritize the importance of family, friends, and social connection. Building and sustaining these critical relationships are more complicated than ever in a global pandemic.   Isolation and loneliness are hard on emotional health and have been shown to slow down Lyme disease recovery. Loneliness can contribute to anxiety and depression and hurt physical health.

“According to a meta-analysis co-authored by Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, lack of social connection heightens health risks as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or having alcohol use disorder. She’s also found that loneliness and social isolation are twice as harmful to physical and mental health as obesity”

Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2015).https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation

Tune in and recognize what you are feeling. Are you a little too lonely? Recently I realized that I needed to pay attention to social isolation effects in my life.  As this pandemic stretches out, my world shrinks, teaching opportunities evaporate, and I spend too much time inside and alone. How about you? Maybe work, or food or TV is corralling too much time in your day, and you cannot see other options. Recognizing what you are feeling is a crucial first step to effectively managing emotions.  I realized the social isolation effects operating in my life were hurting me. So I took some specific actions to connect to my friends and bring more joy back into my life

Healthy Emotional Processing

Some people are much more in touch with their feelings than others. Do you understand and identify your emotions as they arise so that you can process them, or do you pack them away in an attempt not to deal with difficulties? The ruler practice might help you to stay connected.

The ruler (recognize, understand, label, express, and regulate) program is a healthy emotion processing system.   Yale University launched this program for families and schools to teach kids emotional intelligence basics. The first step is to recognize what you feel.  Check-in on your feelings, behavior, mind chatter, and goals.  Does what you say to yourself support achieving your goals?  If not, why not.  Now is the perfect time to identify what you are feeling and take action to feel better.

We all feel lonely from time to time in our lives.  A serious illness like Lyme disease is only one reason for isolation.  The more protracted your loneliness, the more likely adverse mental and physical effects will manifest.  Check-in with yourself to see if you are experiencing any of these behavior shifts due to feeling lonely.

9 Ways to Recognize You Feel Too Much Isolation

1. Hibernating – Not reaching out to friends when you have the chance? If you are ignoring texts or messages, this may be a problem. 
2. Eating – I am snacking (more than usual) using food to stave off boredom and keep you company.  When the expression” The Quarantine 15” applies to you, take it as a sign to watch what and when you eat.
3. Drinking – Has your alcohol intake increased over this last year? People resort to alcohol to numb feelings, but the effects are short-term and not a solution. Drinking suppresses our immune system and does not help us stay healthy.
4. Spending – $$ (more than you want)  Not talking about essentials here, rather HSN, Amazon to fill your day. Stuff ideally adds beauty and creates ease; too much clutters our environment and adds stress.
5. Under motivated – Goals are essential to feeling engaged with life.  If you notice yours slipping away, ask yourself why.
6. Increased anxiety – Chronic high fear or unease is paralyzing and self-reenforcing and, over time, may lead to disease.
7. Sharp temper When you alienate friends with anger and irritation, you increase isolation.  Soften and breathe before responding when you feel anger arise.
8.  Bedbound –   If you are feeling well but still spending half your day in bed on your phone playing games, you may be retreating from loneliness.
9. Stay up too late night after night. Staying up until your second wind kicks in is depleting. Lack of sleep drives fatigue and undercuts your motivation and discipline

If you notice one or more of these signs of the lonelies, take action to address the cause and let go of the coping mechanism quickly.  As you resolve loneliness and isolation, move back towards behaviors that support health and recovery.

5 Ideas To Relieve Social Isolation

1. Dig into what interests you and start to play. Play is a great way to antidote boredom, anxiety, and ill-temper.
   • If cooking is your thing, try something new, a recipe or spice or vegetable.           
   • If movement, find a new dance class.
   • Get a new game or join a scrabble group.
   • Order a new puzzle or two; send one to a friend and work on it together in a video chat.
2. Appreciation practice There is always something to appreciate.
   • I am quarantining in a house versus a one-room apartment. 
   • Spring is coming and I can get out more often.
3. Zoom Group Activities  Meet with people you used to see either outdoors or on zoom. 
   • Play board games
   • Meditate
   • Make Music
4. Get out in Nature without a mask more as weather permits and state and local regulations allow.
   •  Enjoy the bright sky and fresh air.
   • Yoga in the park
   • Find a dog park nearby
5. Contact your health care team or a counselor if you feel you want or need structured support.
   • Join a therapy group
   • Work one-on-one to identify issues
   • Develop coping strategies for social isolation and loneliness.

Social isolation as a result of the pandemic may continue.  Check-in with yourself to see how you are weathering the effects of quarantine.  Embrace more opportunities to socialize as they come along safely. Take action to make the changes you need to support your wellness, keep your life joyful and vibrant.

The purpose of this article is to share and educate on  Lyme disease recovery strategies. The information provided here is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment, or advice. All the material here is for information purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.