Covid19, Loneliness and Mental Health

The mind, brain and body are uncomfortable with lockdown.

Humans are sociable animals and we were not made to self isolate. In fact being lonely and feeling ostracised has been proven to cause physical pain, by igniting our neural base.

In 2007 Steve Cole and a team of researchers at UCLA found out that certain genes were activated within people who were lonely. The anxiety caused by being on your own affects the release of epinephrine and cortisol which activate genetic changes.

Isolated people were found to have severe inflammation in certain areas which feeds some illnesses such as cardio vascular disease, metastatic cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Inflammation helps the body fight bacteria yet it makes it less resistant to viruses. It causes genes involved with fighting off viruses to become inactive.

The challenge is also that being isolated gives the mind time to play tricks and start ruminating. What started as a minor inconvenience can progress from being like a snowball to becoming an avalanche of doubt and anxiety.

Research has shown that loneliness can increase dementia by over 40%. It can reduce cognitive skills such as the ability to concentrate and can lead to depression. Feeling isolated increases blood pressure and heart disease.

There are many ways of trying to beat this feeling of loneliness and isolation but during lockdown it was/is very important to take care of the body through exercise or to connect with nature. It is also not possible to go out and meet up with people and to have social contact.

However, meditation or mind training is the perfect way to beat the affects of loneliness. You can reprogram the subconscious mind to make a lasting difference. The seed of the problem is the ruminating mind which churns the negative thoughts.

Using guided visualisation we can show the subconscious mind a new way forward. Simply visualising a clear glass of water, imagining it is the mind can steer the subconscious and eliminate the monkey chatter in the mind. Any intrusive thoughts can be seen to pass like a fluffy, white cloud in the sky. It takes practice to be able to concentrate on this image being shown to the subconscious.

This is why it is called mind training.

However, with the practice you will be able to have a clear mind for longer, eliminating needless invasive thought. The subconscious mind has been instructed that the ruminating is to stop and calm, clarity is the way forward. The more you practice, the better the concentration and the calmer the mind.

Jack Kornfield said in The art of Forgiveness, Loving kindness and Peace,

‘I f you put a spoonful of salt in a cup of water it tastes salty. If you put a spoonful of salt in a lake of fresh water the taste is still pure and clear. Peace comes when our hearts are open like the sky, vast as the ocean.’