Following the pandemic, many people are finding it difficult to reunite with their social groups. Social isolation and loneliness are associated with behaviors that negatively impact cardiovascular and brain health, such as lower levels of self-reported physical activity, low nutritional intake, and a more sedentary lifestyle. Multiple large studies found significant associations between loneliness and a higher likelihood of smoking and other addictive habits. Taking charge of your mental health to overcome isolation and loneliness will make life worth living again, and it might just save your life.
Anxiety & Depression
Anxiety can occupy and overwhelm your mind. It can cause a person to repeatedly rehearse events and conversations, diminishing self-confidence and peace of mind. It’s difficult to stay focused and trust yourself when anxiety is in the driver’s seat. In fact, anxiety can sometimes feel like a car stuck in a rut, wheels spinning out of control, going nowhere. Otherwise precious time and energy is spent in worry and concern.
The health risks associated with isolation and loneliness
Risk of social isolation increases with age due to life factors, such as widowhood and retirement. Nearly 1/4 of U.S. adults ages 65 and older are socially isolated, and prevalence of loneliness is even higher, with estimates of 22% to 47%. A survey from the project describes “Gen Z” (adults currently ages 18-22) as the loneliest generation. Increased isolation and loneliness among younger adults may be attributed to higher social media use and less engagement in meaningful in-person activities.
New study asks: Does watching the news make us sick?
High risk individuals frequently became so immersed and personally invested in news stories that the stories dominated the individual’s waking thoughts, disrupted time with family and friends, made it difficult to focus on school or work, and contributed to restlessness and an inability to sleep. Perhaps not surprisingly, people with higher levels of problematic news consumption were significantly more likely to experience mental and physical ill-being than those with lower levels, even when controlling for demographics, personality traits, and overall news use.
Friendships empower women against unwelcome sexual experiences
Sexual victimization is a widely studied phenomenon on college campuses, yet surprisingly little is known about how first-year college women navigate and respond to this risk. A new study reviews how perpetrators might target first-year women for a variety of reasons that include inexperience with alcohol, and being new to many of the social settings that are common in college. Strategies developed by researchers called “capable guardianship” helps women understand that by working together they can maximize their protection and safety and reduce the possible occurrence of nonconsensual sexual acts, ranging from unwanted touching to rape.
Teens exhibiting record levels of stress-related mental health problems
The mental health crisis among teens has prompted an urgent quest for preventive interventions. Researchers believe they have one. As the team explains in a recent study, the 30-minute online training module teaches teenagers to channel their stress responses away from something negative that needs to be feared and tamped down towards recognizing those responses — sweaty palms, a racing heart, for example — as a positive driving force.
How to Empower Yourself to Make Positive Change
When we are stressed, when we are tired and overwhelmed, it’s easy to hold our breath without even knowing it. And when we do that, we deprive ourselves of oxygen, which, in turn, limits our ability to think clearly in the moment and do things like problem-solving and affect-regulation.