Relational Health During the Pandemic

We are painfully aware of the stress that has been introduced into our lives since the onset of the pandemic. The COVID-19 virus has killed over 470,000 people in the United States and it has changed the way that we view our health and our social behavior. Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus and the fact that our risk of contracting it depends on maintaining distance from others, this pandemic has the potential to cause immense emotional pain for many people.
The COVID-19 containment strategy of social distancing, along with the recommendation to limit exposure by staying home instead of engaging with our communities, forces us to suppress our natural desire for connection precisely when we are highly stressed and in need of social support. The pandemic highlights the painful reality that we are a social species, and it is our relationships with others that sustain us.
How do relationships help us to survive? Interactions with other people help us to regulate our emotions so we can maintain our resilience under adverse conditions. Staying socially connected allows us to validate our thoughts and emotions as we maintain our access to social support. The well-documented, stress-buffering benefits of social support help us maintain our emotional and physical health while remaining resilient despite the adversities of life. COVID-19 is showing us how important relational health and social contact are to our happiness and our health. Just as social connection and support increase resilience – isolation and loneliness increase our vulnerability to depression, sickness, and even death. In fact, loneliness is a predictor of mortality among elderly populations, who are at the highest risk of death from COVID-19.
The pandemic may deprive us of the social connection and support that protects us from stress under adverse circumstances. Highly vulnerable populations like the elderly and people with major depression, or a severe mental illness, may have their survival threatened if the pandemic remains virulent for a long period of time. It is important for all of us to identify the people we know that fall into one of these high risk groups, because they will need social support and connection to survive the pandemic. Relationships are basic ingredients for survival and now is the time to connect with the people that really need support. Relational health will help all of us get through this….together.