The Loneliness Epidemic

Hello again.

Last time I wrote I was aiming to be more consistent on this blog. And I failed flawlessly. I do have a bunch of excuses up my sleeve but let’s not talk about that.

Today I want to talk about the loneliness epidemic that has slowly spread during the coronavirus pandemic. I have been quite lucky with the coronavirus situation. I lived in 2 cities in Japan during the pandemic and I never had to go into strict quarantine. Most of my daily activities were unaffected and I am thankful for that. But while being happy about that side of things I never realized how loneliness slowly sneaked into my life.

Firstly let’s talk about the loneliness faced by people who are or were in constant lockdown. I can speak from the experience of my parents and it hasn’t been great. In Bangladesh, being among people is a big part of your everyday life. Meeting people and hanging out is what we do. But that was put to a halt and people took to social media. People were more online than before and that was the solution for the younger bunch. But for the generation of my parents, it has been really hard. For my Dad especially, he fell really sick in the past year. A lot of it was due to age but I believe the change in his routine played a big part. Before the pandemic, he was constantly among his friends and colleagues at work. He was really active and he had a really good daily routine. But then everything shifted to online and the routine changed. For my mother it was similar. She loved going out, taking walks, and running errands. But now she has been stuck at home. Every day when we talk she often mentions how bad the situation is. Even though they both have been vaccinated this change in routine is having a big impact.

If you are in a place where there has been constant lockdown I believe you can relate to the situation.

For me it was different. Until I moved to a new city exactly 3 months ago today. I left a city where I lived for 5 years. In my new city and the new job, it was me all alone. Facing a change in my life. I was excited and ready to take the next step. The first 3 days really sucked. The loneliness sucked me in. But I slowly made my new place my new home. I was starting to enjoy the change. I managed to visit my friends in Tokyo since I live closer now. Everything seemed alright but then I suddenly fell ill around the beginning of June. I wasn’t expecting the loneliness to drag me back again but it did. For the 2 weeks, it took me to recover things got real bad. Every day was a struggle and I didn’t know when it would end. It was a mental game more than a physical one. No matter how better I felt, my brain was constantly doubting. And every day I went to bed my brain kept on reminding me how alone I was.

To tell you the truth, I never had a problem being alone and feeling alone. I quite enjoy it. I don’t mind being among people but being alone never bothered it. So it was a strange time for me.

It’s been a week since I recovered and I feel happy and better. All that self-doubt slowly faded away. Speaking to my friends and family helped me through that time. So if you are going through a rough time, sharing with the right people always helps.

Although things are better for me, I still worry for my parents. The loneliness they and many other people are facing due to the pandemic does not have an easy fix. It will have long-term consequences. All I can do is be there for them and you should too. Call your loved ones every single day if you can.