Long-Term Social Isolation Proves to Be a Mental Health Strain, Comparable to Smoking 15 Cigarettes a Day
When the first Covid-19 headlines emerged in January 2020, 25-year-old TJ from South London felt unaffected. “I thought: ‘I’m young, I’m healthy, I’ll be fine,’” he recalls. However, as the pandemic deepened and the first lockdown was announced, his optimism quickly gave way to uncertainty. Living alone after his housemate left for her parents’ home, TJ initially tried to maintain a positive outlook with Zoom quizzes and the collective spirit of lockdown. But as the weeks went on, the isolation took a toll on his mental health. “Four weeks in, I was genuinely scared for my mental health,” he says, realizing that the silence and solitude were starting to feel overwhelming.
TJ represents one of 7.7 million people in the UK who lived alone during the pandemic, and his experience of loneliness is not unique. The Office for National Statistics found that loneliness reached record highs in November 2020, with young adults aged 16-29 experiencing the highest levels of isolation. “I’d be scrolling through Instagram, seeing friends with their boyfriends or housemates, and thinking: ‘I wish I had someone. I feel so alone,’” TJ reflects.
For others like Carl, 56, from Derbyshire, who had enjoyed living alone before the pandemic, the absence of company became physically suffocating. “It comes in waves – for two weeks I’ll be fine, then I’ll wake up one day and feel totally alone,” he shares. The absence of human connection during the pandemic has highlighted the profound mental and emotional toll of long-term isolation, which, according to studies, can be as harmful to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
