COVID and Loneliness

According to the mental health charity Mind, "loneliness is the feeling we get when our need for rewarding social contact and relationships is not met." This means that people experience loneliness in a diverse number of ways because it's all about personal expectations.

Thinking about this, it makes sense that cases of loneliness were on the rise during lockdown periods, and are increasing even now rules are starting to be relaxed. A British Red Cross study found that 41% of adults in the UK feel lonelier since lockdown (compared to 20% pre-COVID). If we look at how the rules of social gatherings and interaction have changed, it's natural that people would feel lonely because their expectations of relationships are still in a normal setting, one without the virus and quarantining.