Living far away from family members is bound to cause some form of loneliness, but living far away with no way of visiting family members in person makes it even worse. Even if borders are open during the covid pandemic, there is the uneasiness of them suddenly closing due to new variants or waves of the virus. The cost of quarantining and the ever-increasing airline tickets also make it tough. Of course, we can talk online. Normally this helps a lot, but there comes a time when we get tired of looking at the screen and realize that it is not the same as meeting face to face, no matter how we try to trick ourselves into believing that it is.
Loneliness has increased significantly since the onset of the coronavirus. They are also using the word epidemic to describe it. Not only are we unable to meet family, but it can be difficult to stay in touch with friends when we are in lockdown.
Another aspect of loneliness that just exasperates the problem is the holidays. We put a lot of expectations on each other during this time. Christmas is supposed to be a magical time where everyone is full of love and compassion. Everyone smiles at you and says Merry Christmas. Not to mention all of the family traditions we have. When things don’t work out the way we expect, we may think back to times where we experienced the perfect Christmas.
Over the next couple of weeks, I will look into loneliness, how it affects us and what we can do about it. But in the meantime, try to enjoy the holidays, get in touch with family and loved ones anyway that you can, and take that well-earned rest.
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