Blog written by Natalie Doan, MSc, PhD Student in Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo
The holiday season can be a very challenging time for individuals living with or recovering from an eating disorder. Holiday treats, family dinners, and social get-togethers centred around food can make the holiday season a time of heightened anxiety for individuals with a history of an eating disorder. For others, the holiday season can exacerbate feelings of loneliness. This year, with COVID-19 being a global public health crisis, it is understandable that physical distancing, lockdown, quarantine, and social restriction measures will impact people’s psychological well-being in various degrees, including by eliciting feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Research has long demonstrated that social support and a sense of connectedness is strongly associated with multiple indicators of health. Feelings of social isolation and loneliness have detrimental effects on physical and mental health, including being risk factors for depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and insomnia. Furthermore, seeing the role that social support plays in coping with symptoms of mental distress following crises, such as natural disasters and pandemics, means that it is essential to consider how individuals struggling with an eating disorders and other mental health concerns cope during COVID-19.
In the context of eating disorders, researchers have long recognized that loneliness can play a pivotal role in contributing, maintaining, and perpetuating eating disorders. For example, feelings of loneliness can trigger bingeing, and bingeing and purging can be used to cope with feelings of loneliness. This introduces implications for eating disorders, especially during a pandemic where maintaining socially connections is a lot more challenging than it would be for many people in other years. Knowing how to cope with feelings of loneliness and isolation is arguably more critical this year than ever before.
Below is a list of some strategies to cope with feelings of loneliness and isolation with social distancing measures in place.
Connect with others
Although it may be increasingly challenging to discover ways to keep connected with members outside your household, technological advances provide many options to explore ways of maintaining connected to others, especially through various virtual platforms.
Build a support system
Whether it is by sharing your thoughts and feelings with your friends or family, joining an online support group, or seeing a therapist, building a support network is helpful in keeping socially connected and coping with loneliness. Sharing your feelings of loneliness with the right people, who might also understand experiencing similar feelings, may be helpful in coping with feelings of loneliness during these isolating times.
Engage in distraction
Distraction can be very useful to cope with emotions, especially in the short-term. There are many ways to stay distracted during the pandemic. Consider doing more of the things you already enjoy spending time doing or learning a new hobby or skill. Some starting points include reading books or audiobooks, listening to music or podcasts, engaging in creative arts (e.g., drawing, painting, crocheting), learning a new language, writing, and watching a new series or movie.
Participate in meaningful activities
Volunteering your time can be a great way to contribute to the community and foster a sense of collective well-being. Depending on your interests, consider taking on activities that might provide you a sense of meaning and purpose, such as volunteering with a local community, student, social, academic, research, or professional organization.
Practice self-compassion
It’s especially important to be gentle with yourself during this time. It might be useful to follow the news, but if exposure to the media leads to increasing fear and anxiety or exacerbate feelings of loneliness, try balancing time spent on the news and social media with other unrelated activities, such as reading, listening to music, or learning a new skill.
References
American Psychological Association. Keeping your distance to stay safe. Accessed from: https://www.apa.org/practice/programs/dmhi/research-information/social-distancing
Banerjee D, Rai M. Social isolation in Covid-19: The impact of loneliness.
Canadian Mental Health Association. Coping with loneliness. Accessed from: https://cmha.bc.ca/documents/coping-with-loneliness/
Levine MP. Loneliness and eating disorders. The Journal of psychology. 2012 Jan 1;146(1-2):243-57.
National Health Service. What you can do if you feel lonely during the coronavirus outbreak. Accessed from: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coping-loneliness-during-coronavirus-outbreak/
Pietrabissa G, Simpson SG. Psychological consequences of social isolation during COVID-19 outbreak. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020 Sep 9;11:2201.
Saltzman LY, Hansel TC, Bordnick PS. Loneliness, isolation, and social support factors in post-COVID-19 mental health. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 2020 Jun 18.