Loneliness is what we feel what our need to meaningful human contact is not fulfilled. You do not have to be alone to feel lonely. You can live with family or friends and still feel loneliness if you do not feel valued in the relationship. Loneliness is a growing problem in the UK: 2.4 million adults felt they were often or always lonely. However people do not admit it because it can carry a stigma. 

Social distancing measures has meant that we are not able to visit our friends and relatives in person. This is especially problematic for vulnerable groups of people who live by themselves.  

Here are some tips for combatting loneliness:

• Use digital means to stay in contact. There are variety of apps that offer video calling options. You should also consider using apps which encourage different ways to interact. For example, using Instagram is a good way to share pictures of food, gardening, art etc. 
• Structuring your day is a helpful way to create a sense of normality. Your day also becomes easier to manage by breaking it down into smaller chunks.
• Busy yourself with learning a new skill (See Section 3.7 Spending time productively)
• Volunteering provides an important way to connect with new people. You can use Yusra app to find people nearby you need help. Similarly, the Nextdoor app also helps you to create a neighbourhood hub.

• “Whoever relieves a believer’s distress of the distressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from a difficulty of the difficulties of the Hereafter…” [Muslim]

  • There are support groups to provide advice if you feel particularly affected. Age UK runs the Call in Time service which helps older people connect to others.