News and Events Articles Keep in touch through Lockdown . From Thursday 5th November, the UK will go back into a second national lockdown, meaning that will come with a whole host of brand new government guidelines. For many people they will be in lockdown with their families with plenty of chance to socialise. However, many young and elderly people will be on their own, this article is to help these lonely single person households stay in touch to combat loneliness. What effect does loneliness have? Loneliness has a very serious effect on a person's mental health, more so if the feeling of being lonely is constant. Most people that feel lonely describe that they feel like having nobody to talk to, feel disconnected from the world (easy to happen with lockdown), feeling left out, Sadness and not feeling understood. There are many events through life that could cause people to experience loneliness, some of which being: Retiring or losing social contact with people at work. Changing jobs and feeling isolated from your co-workers No friends or family. Single parent or caring for someone else and not having the ability to maintain a social life. Some people also lack self-confidence and unable to like themselves or be liked by others. Moreover, more recently lockdown incorporating a mixture of reasons to onset loneliness. People end up comparing themselves to others, building up pressure and ultimately alienating themselves. . Ways to combat loneliness Due to lockdown the usual activities and exercises that involve going out will not work. However, there is multiple ways to virtually connect with friends or family from other households. These methods will help quell loneliness and get people socialising, at any time during the day. Here is a few ways you can keep in touch with each other: Zoom; Zoom is a meeting app that is free to download; all you need to do is make an account. There is a few types of accounts to you can have but the basic one is fine for 2 people. Three or more people will have a 40 minute time limit for each call, but that will be irrelevant with a premium account. This app has become popular recently due to lockdown because of its accessibility, meaning that elderly people or those not that tech savvy will have no problem using it. Skype; Skype is a video calling app like Zoom and it is also completely free to make an account. Just like Zoom it is easy to use and can have as many people in the call as you want - this will be perfect for multiple single person households to connect to each other. The app is not as reliable as Zoom but should not make much of a difference to a none techy person. . On the internet; There is a large number of websites on the internet that cater to connecting to random people through chat rooms. It is mostly aimed at younger people that just want to talk to someone and it does not matter whom. You never know - might make some long lasting friendships. Through Mobile; It is common now for people of all ages to have a mobile phones. Elderly people that do not have the means to download apps (and do not have people to set up Zoom for them) can keep in contact with friends and family by just calling them. Just hearing another person's voice can do a lot for someone to ease their loneliness. Games; If you are a young person you can connect with the world through playing on games consoles or PC. You can easily offset loneliness by connecting to a game and playing with a huge number of people. Through lockdown, this is one of the best ways to keep morale up and boredom down. If you are a casual gamer, why not try out the app House Party, using this you can connect with friends and play a number of party games online, like quick draw - a sort of online charades, having to guess what the drawing is. .Virtual Gatherings; Most none essential places will be closed because of the lockdown so the next best option is virtual gathering. Elderly people will find this extremely nice as they can join an online tea part and get to chatting with like-minded people. Additionally young people can join communities like Discord to talk about their favourite games and movies. Movie Night; Why not call up a few friends using Zoom or Skype, pick a movie and watch it together. You cannot visit a cinema so this is the next best thing (you would not need to worry about sneaking in snacks... yes I'm talking to you!) Online Courses; Join an online class with other people, this will be a great way to meet a new group of people in addition to having something in common to talk about. Fortunately, interacting with people anywhere in the world is a lot easier now more than ever thanks to the advancement of technology. Of course, many single person households may not realise the options available to them to combat loneliness. I hope these suggestions help you through lockdown. Feel free to leave a comment if you feel like having a chat with someone or if you have any queries. If you are looking for more ways to stave off loneliness through lockdown why not the Mind.org website. They have many tips and shared experiences that can help your mental health because of being lonely. They also provide a number of useful contacts you can use (like Local minds a face-to-face services) as well as a very informative PDF. Visit the links below! STAY SAFE - YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LONELY THROUGH LOCKDOWN SO STAY IN TOUCH THROUGH LOCKDOWN! Feel free to visit Mind.org at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/food-and-mood/about-food-and-mood/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/tips-to-manage-loneliness/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/loneliness/about-loneliness/ . Download Loneliness PDF