As employees begin to return to the office – some part-time, some full-time – a clearer understanding is emerging of how severely COVID-19 impacted mental health. Among the many changes employees said they experienced while working remotely, the most common were feelings of loneliness caused by long periods of isolation.
Unfortunately, for many people it does not end there. Surveys have shown that many of those who experienced loneliness during the height of the pandemic also had increased feelings of anxiety, stress and even depression. While pets and Zoom calls certainly helped people get through long hours of remote work, they are not a long-term substitute for in-person interaction with other people.
According to a Cigna survey, the “loneliness epidemic” persists even as the pandemic begins to loosen its grip on the country.
