Many have experienced loneliness during COVID-19 pandemic

Loneliness is definitely something that has come to the forefront during this global COVID pandemic. It’s likely that most of us have experienced some degree of loneliness in the past couple of years.

Loneliness can have a negative impact on our physical and mental health, especially if this feeling has lasted a long time.

Numerous studies have linked loneliness to health issues including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, mental health struggles, and the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

There are several strategies that you can employ to cope with this period of isolation. Most of these involve either prayer, staying physically and mentally active and finding ways to connect with others.

Attend congregational prayers at the Mosque

Muslims are encouraged to get out of the house and come to the Masjid as often as possible, with the very least being once a week.

Apart from the immense spiritual rewards we receive for attending, such congregations no doubt enhance social cohesion and uplift one’s sense of belonging to society.

Make people feel loved

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged those who love one another to express their love, whether it is by simply telling your brother that you love him for the sake of God, saying a kind word or even giving gifts.

The quality of making people feel special was in fact so embedded in the personality of the Prophet, that many of the companions mistakenly believed that they were, in fact, the closest and most beloved of all the companions to him.

Visit one another

The Prophet encouraged us to visit one another and to accordingly treat our guests well. In fact, he informed us that Allah explicitly loved a servant of His for the mere act of him visiting his brother for the sake of God without expecting any favours.