social isolation

Feeling alone? 5 tips to create connection and combat loneliness

7:00am December 03, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

We all feel lonely at some point, but long-term social isolation can damage our mental and physical health. A new book called Project UnLonely shows how creative expression can foster friendships.

Mary Daniel took a dishwasher job at her husband's Florida memory care facility to see him during the initial coronavirus lockdown. She has been fighting for visitation rights ever since.

Health & Safety

New laws let visitors see loved ones in health care facilities, even in an outbreak

7:00am April 03, 2022

by Stephanie Colombini

To contain the spread of COVID, hospitals and nursing homes barred visits, but the separation and isolation took a toll on patients and families. Now, some states are trying to ensure access.

With bad pandemic news and endless social distancing, it can feel like the longest winter ever. But keeping up nourishing bonds of human connection is possible with a little ingenuity.

Health & Safety

Don't Let The Pandemic Winter Get You Down: 9 Creative Ways To Socialize Safely

8:56am January 01, 2021

by Rhitu Chatterjee

With bad pandemic news and endless social distancing, it can already feel like the longest winter ever. But keeping up nourishing bonds of human connection is possible with a little ingenuity.

Queue Listen Now

"You do what you have to do to survive," says Diane Evans, who is fighting pandemic loneliness with technology. Evans lives in San Francisco and has Zoom calls regularly with her daughter in Chicago.

There's No Stopping These Seniors; Even A Pandemic Can't Bring Them Down

7:00am November 26, 2020

by Lesley McClurg

Older people are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19. But recent research reveals older populations are less consumed by pandemic depression than those that are younger.

Loneliness can affect not just your mental health but also your physical health.

Health & Safety

Too Much Alone Time? Tips To Connect And Find Joy While Social Distancing

10:21am May 10, 2020

by Allison Aubrey

The isolation that comes with social distancing carries serious physical and mental health risks. Here's how to forge new connections and nurture friendships, without leaving home.

An ill woman enters Elmhurst Hospital Center in the Queens borough of New York City this week. Locked away from families, hospitalized patients these days feel particularly isolated emotionally as well as physically, psychiatrists say. Teletherapy can hel

Health & Safety

Psychiatrists Lean Hard On Teletherapy To Reach Isolated Patients In Emotional Pain

1:35pm April 09, 2020

by Yuki Noguchi

Remote mental health treatment isn't the same as in-person visits with a psychiatrist, but faced with a pandemic, many people have been forced to make do. Regulators are making that access easier.

Bennett VanOudenallen's daughters found a new creative outlet while stuck at home: Coranaissance.

National

What Some People Are Doing To Fill The Social Distancing Space

5:00am March 19, 2020

by Brooklyn Riepma

Social distancing is strongly encouraged as the coronavirus spreads throughout the U.S., but many are making the best out of staying home.

A woman holds lights on her balcony during a flash mob launched throughout Italy on Sunday to bring people together even as they are staying home in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus.

How To Be Alone, But Not Lonely, Despite The Coronavirus

1:27pm March 17, 2020

by Sarah McCammon

As social distancing becomes common practice because of the new coronavirus, people are finding ways to stay connected and fight isolation.

Queue Listen Now

A growing field of science shows that friendship is vital to our health.

Survival Of The Friendliest: How Our Close Friendships Help Us Thrive

7:01am February 22, 2020

by Elena Renken

In her new book, Lydia Denworth makes the case for the vital necessity of friendship, tracing its effects on your genes, on your brain and even on animals like sheep and fish.

A new report finds that good co-worker relationships are linked to decreased loneliness.

Health & Safety

Most Americans Are Lonely, And Our Workplace Culture May Not Be Helping

11:28am January 23, 2020

by Elena Renken

A new survey of 10,000 Americans finds 61% of us are lonely. Young people, men and those new at their jobs are some of the hardest hit.