How to Cope with Being Single During the Pandemic

Written by Rebecca Shinn, Freelance Writer & Dating/Relationship Expert

The raging coronavirus pandemic and resulting quarantine measures have strained human lives and businesses alike. Loneliness brought by social distancing and stay at home measures has become a norm, both for single people and those in relationships, including families, are experiencing a tough phase. Coupled with quarantine measures, being single has brought about several mental issues. If you are depressed about being single, consider the following tips to up your spirits. If you fear being single forever, you can ditch singlehood by finding potential soul mates from one of these best dating sites review.

1. Nurture Existing Relationships

Connecting with your platonic loved ones is probably the best tip on how to cope with being single during this pandemic. Nurturing friendships and family relationships is an effective way of maintaining optimal health both in good and not-so-good times. Unfortunately, you might have failed to acknowledge or took several established connections for granted, focusing on what you are missing.

While you may be enjoying the art of being single, normalize calls and face time with your family and friends. A weekly video meeting with friends, book groups, and other creative activities are also beneficial. Already existing platonic relationships can help you during these hard times that you may forget about being single. They might also last longer than relationships drawn from dating sites.

Such virtual chats can be one-on-one, in small groups, or large groups. However, if you have no people to connect with, you can schedule telehealth sessions with therapists for guidance and encouragement. Such professionals can also turn to reliable people you can speak to when in need. Despite being single, the pandemic period is a good time to develop new friendships through online forums and volunteer opportunities available within the community.

2.  Watch Your Body

Being single might drive you into careless behaviors that will negatively affect your body, especially with the loneliness that comes with this pandemic. However, even if you enjoy being single, you should make efforts to take care of your body. This includes simple things, such as proper diet, regular exercise, and daily sunshine. This will boost your mental and physical health and work as distractions that overwhelm the lonely feeling of being single.

To enjoy a proper diet, consider cooking as a fun exercise. Actually, cooking can relieve stress and a good distraction for those who aren’t used to being single. Prioritize natural meals with limited sugar, salt, and carbohydrates. On the other hand, exercises should include simple routines, such as daily work out through face time with your friends or watching online tutorials from YouTube and Instagram. For good results, hold yourself accountable by keeping track of or engaging in friendly competition.

3.  Learn New Skills

Even without the pandemic, learning new skills and hobbies came in handy for those looking for how to enjoy being single. Similarly, exploring new skillsets or improving existing creative outlets can boost your mental health. Engaging your intellect strengthens the specific parts of the brain that keep humans sharp and focused. Intellectual projects also ward off boredom and negative thinking, which is common for those looking for various ways of how to accept being single.

This involves searching for new interesting topics, learning new games, mastering new crafts, or upgrading your gardening skills. You can also attempt to read diverse books, write poems, baking, and other engagements.

4. Change Your Focus

There are various pros and cons of being single. However, most people dwell on what hurts and the negativities that come with being single. In reality, this isn’t helpful. While you should accept the feelings and acknowledge being single, you shouldn’t be obsessed with being lonely, which exacerbates misery.

A good way of achieving this is keeping track of your thoughts. Write down your feelings about being single while paying attention to self-judgment. This will enable you to make reasonable decisions instead of being less compassionate about yourself. For instance, instead of feeling unlovable, writing down will help you focus on other positive traits worth loving.

After recognizing the reality of being single, make conscious decisions to get over it. Engage in multiple positive activities that will immerse your mind in a different world. Loneliness is certainly instructive. However, steer away from the thought of being single and enjoy the benefits of being single, such as making own choices about what to watch, what to cook, and travel decisions, among others.

 Other tips that can help in coping with loneliness and being single during the pandemic include;

•  Planning for a tough day – be it Christmas, New Year, or a relative’s birthday, being single shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the day. As a human, ensure that you satisfy the need to feel connected with others.
• Adopt a pet – if you love pets, adopting a dog or a cat can help you cope with the challenges of being single. However, ensure that the benefits of adopting one outweigh potential challenges, such as costs of purchasing and caring for the pet.
• Focus on gratitude – another way of coping with being single is appreciating the simple elements in your daily routine. For instance, make an effort to enjoy your morning coffee or the views of stars and moon at night.

Bottom Line

Whichever your experience is, being single during the pandemic is not great. Besides being a mental and emotional roller-coaster, being single deprives one of physical touch, sharing chores, and other enjoyable opportunities. Fortunately, you can take this opportunity for self-exploration, growth, evaluate your dating life, make new friendships, and strengthen existing relationships. Remember that loneliness is also an important part of human life.

That said if you had survived being single and lonely before, what tips kept you going? Share in the comments section below.

 About the Author

Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer and dating and relationship expert with a Psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. The important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, or finance skills. 

Rebecca started writing 2 years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, strong relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for long years.

With all said above, Rebecca is proud to be a mother and a wife so she doesn’t only use her knowledge for helping others but keeping her family strong and happy.