Many people in the United States feel alone.
They’ve felt alone for quite a while, according to several polls conducted over the past few years, but then, the coronavirus pandemic hit, and things got worse. We were stuck at home, unable to go to work or school, and unable to meet with friends and family due to the risks associated with physical gatherings.
But there was another risk many didn’t anticipate: loneliness and the toll it can take.
Over the past few months, 1 in 4 young adults in the U.S. has considered taking their own lives because of the pandemic, according to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This confirms what many health professionals have been reporting for weeks: People are distressed, anxious, and alone — and they need help.
“I’m privileged, and I’m not doing as terribly as some people are in quarantine. I felt kind of bad to even say that I’m lonely because it’s like, ‘Oh, woe is she,’” said Claire Lejeune, a 24-year-old photographer based in Los Angeles. But she decided to reach out for help online, and soon after, she was met with a wave of support from otherwise independent people who were similarly struggling with our new, socially distanced normal.
“There was definitely a sense of community within the loneliness,” Lejeune told Time magazine. “Everyone can relate to it.”
Because social interaction has been discouraged, people are turning to other outlets for relief. During the last week of March, alcohol sales in the U.S. rose 55%, according to market research firm Nielsen. Online alcohol sales jumped 243%. At least 13% of those who told the CDC that they had contemplated suicide also admitted to having turned to substance use to cope with the stress. As a result, drug overdose deaths are the highest they’ve been in months.
This is our next great health crisis — one that won’t receive much media attention, one that won’t be assigned its own White House task force, one that most people won’t even notice until it’s too late. But it is here, and it is profound.
So, what can we do? The best solution is to reach out to those you know and love and reconnect with them regularly, whether that’s via Zoom, FaceTime, or, better yet, in person. Human beings depend on meaningful connection. Not only is it spiritually fulfilling, but it’s physically rewarding too, as study after study has shown. And it might be the only thing that helps us adjust to life after the coronavirus.
