Has social distancing put us in a double pandemic?

About four years ago, before any of us had been encouraged to practice social distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic, I moved to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. My family and friends worried I’d be lonely, but I embraced the peace and quiet and found myself feeling very happy among the trees and lakes. It didn’t take long for me to make friends among my fellow Franciscan sisters, to feel like I was part of a community. About once a month, I drove half the day to visit friends in other parts of the state. Occasionally I would fly to meetings in places like California and South Carolina. I even got in good enough shape to walk the Camino de Compostela in Spain. Plus, social media allowed me to grow and deepen my relationships with many people online.

Overall, my time in the Northwoods was fruitful for me. I wrote a book and completed a master’s degree, all while benefiting from natural beauty and fresh air.

For my master’s project, I researched the problem of loneliness and developed some pastoral responses. What I learned was alarming. In developed countries worldwide, at least 20 percent of the population always feels lonely and isolated. In 2018, a Cigna study demonstrated that loneliness is now at epidemic levels, with 47 percent of Americans reporting sometimes or always feeling lonely.