Loneliness Around The Holidays
Right after Thanksgiving, the sights and sounds around us morph into a familiar holiday cheer, with twinkling lights, christmas carols and classics on TV channels. It can be the best feeling in the world, but also can be an oppressive feeling for some, who are so lonely that they feel ‘mocked’ by the ongoing holiday splurge going around, with family get togethers and gifts.
The holiday times are cheery but stressful, and can be a harrowing experience for those who already struggle with loneliness or depression.
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
- Eat chocolate.
- Take warm showers.
- Wear warm socks.
- Laugh as hard as you can.
- Read the comics.
- Play your favourite Christmas movies.
- Try new recipes.
- Look at old pictures and read old letters.
- Write down whatever is good in your life.
- Listen to music.
- Paint, sew and design stuff.
- Wake up early, preferably after a good sleep.
- Make your bed in the morning.
- Exercise for at least one hour, or even just basic breathing exercises.
- Go out for a walk in the sun.
- Have a light and healthy breakfast.
- Be decisive, compassionate and focused.
- Meditate.
- Say ‘I love you’ to your family members, near and far.
- Be grateful.
- Don’t use your smartphone or iPad before bed.
Much of the childhood holiday magic we remember was a sacrifice for most adults who wanted the time to be special for kids. True holiday spirit is a mix of pleasure, sacrifice and pain, a mix of emotions where our own sense of joy is hardly felt.
The holidays amplify the loneliness and sacrifice, due to the pandemic, global remoteness, joblessness, personal loss and the many unspoken feelings that become evident at this time.
- Call up your friends, or do virtual meetings.
- Adopt a dog.
- Start gardening.
- Cook with friends on a Facetime/Zoom call.
- Join virtual communities of your interest.
- Volunteer.
- Go to a nursing home and interact if possible.
- Join a virtual exercise session.
RELATED IDEAS
- Before we move towards a just society by going vocal globally, we need to cater to first place the injustice starts: Our Homes.
- We need to have some hard conversations with our near and dear ones to understand the genesis of inequality and injustice before we try to eradicate the problem on a large scale.
- We need to ask our loved ones how their beliefs, decisions, and choices came into being while keeping the conversation flowing by showing curiosity and not losing our temper.
- Most couples have disagreements and difference of opinion with matters related to money, due to many factors.
- We live in a society where attaining financial security is a huge challenge, whereas financial success is placed on a high pedestal.
- Marriage has traditionally been based on various economic factors unrelated to love and companionship. Families, land, wealth and resources have always dominated the alliance.
- We have a complex relationship with money and carry a lot of baggage in our heads, old belief patterns and behaviours, which spill into the relationship.
Loneliness is nothing new, but the last decade the feeling has expanded to alarming degrees. Loneliness used to mean being socially isolated, but now it means loss of connection, lack of trust, and mental isolation in between two people sitting next to each other.
The digital vortex offered by the smartphone, where we ‘doom scroll’ all the time, desperately trying to keep up with the avalanche of information and news, hasn’t made things easier.