How to Cope with Loneliness during the Covid-19 Pandemic? Perspectives of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism

Bibliographic Data

ID3367372
AuthorsXiaojun Ding (0000-0001-6951-3785, Xi'an Jiaotong University, corresponding author), Bingxing Shang (0000-0003-3946-3961, Xi'an Jiaotong University), Fang Yu (0000-0001-7385-163X, Wuhan University, corresponding author), Feng Yu (0000-0001-8646-1040)
Year2022
Volume13
Issue11
Pages1085
Publication date2022-11-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel13111085
OpenAlexW4308702930
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited134

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed people's long-standing group life, and "less gathering" has become a popular slogan during this period. People will probably feel lonely when they are physically, socially, or mentally distanced and isolated or excluded, and they usually perceive a deficiency in the quality or quantity of their social relationships. Although loneliness is easily conflated with solitude, loneliness as an emotion is generally regarded as negative while solitude can be positive. There are various causes and effects of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and loneliness has been found to have significant impacts on poorer physical and mental health. Religiosity and spirituality are specifically proven to have a great impact on handling loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. When regarding belongingness as the opposite of loneliness and social isolation, religious belonging means a feeling of being "at home" and "connected". In this paper, from a comparative approach, we attempt to investigate how the three most prominent traditions in East Asia, i.e., Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, can help manage the feeling of loneliness. Due to different understandings of loneliness, their coping strategies for loneliness also vary. Through a preliminary study of "benevolence and rites," "wu-wei and freedom," and "mindfulness and spiritual realization," we can learn from the ancient wisdom about how to reduce loneliness and promote spiritual well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

Belongingness · Buddhism · Feeling · Loneliness · Mental health · Psychotherapist · Social isolation · Solitude · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Health disparities and outcomes · History · Psychology · Social Psychology