#OperationKYSunshine

 

Host:  Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences Extension, University of Kentucky

Guests: Dr. Amy Kostelic, Extension Specialist for Adult Development and Aging and Dr. Alex Elswick, Extension Specialist for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery

Episode 2, Season 3

0:00 Welcome to Talking FACS; what you need to know about family, food, finance and fitness. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program, our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families and communities to improve quality of life.

0:21 Dr. Jennifer Hunter: Hello and welcome to Talking FACS. This is your host, Dr. Jennifer Hunter, Assistant Director for Family Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.

Today, I'm pleased to be joined by Dr. Amy Kostelic, Our Extension Specialist for Adult Development and Aging and Dr. Alex Elswick, our Extension Specialists for Substance Use, Prevention and Recovery. Welcome, Amy and Alex.

0:44 Dr. Amy Kostelic: Hi. Thanks for having us. Good morning.

0:46 Dr. Alex Elswick: Glad to be here.

0:48 Jennifer: All right. So, today, the theme of our podcast is we are calling it Operation Kentucky Sunshine. But I love today's topic. And I recently learned that there are more than 1500 national days or observances. So, that's something like National Doughnut Day.

And I also learned that one of those days, always on July 11th, is National Cheer Up the Lonely Day. And as a result of the COVID-COVID-19 pandemic, this national observance seems especially significant this year.

1:24 Amy: Definitely, Jennifer, the effects of COVID-COVID-19 on people who feel lonely really deserves to be center stage. Loneliness is something that affects people of all ages, and people can feel lonely anytime, anywhere.

And loneliness, just so that we're all clear on what exactly that means; it's this personal feeling or the subjective feeling that causes this personal sense of suffering from being or feeling disconnected from other people.

So, it's a little bit different than what social isolation is. Right now, we're hearing so much about social isolation. And that simply is just not being around other people or having close connections. But again, loneliness is this the sense of suffering from being disconnected.

So, as a result, you can really be alone and not feel lonely, but you can also --

2:10 Jennifer: I was just getting right to ask that question; do you have to be alone to feel lonely?

2:14 Amy: Right. And there are a lot of stories out there right now of people who are around people, but they're suffering from feeling lonely. And a lot of that, again, not just due to the pandemic, but the pandemic has exasperated that where you're just so out of routine and out of your norm that some people are really struggling with that disconnection from what life might usually be like.

2:39 Alex: I think Amy brings up a great point, which is that even prior to the pandemic, we were existing in a pretty lonely society, for a variety of reasons. One, being sort of the natural life cycle has changed. Now, people like me, millennials, young people are getting married at a later age, living single for longer, which is part of the reason we have such a high rate of loneliness among millennials.

And I think social media, too, which ironically was designed to connect us, sort of driving us apart and forming these artificial social connections. So, you had sort of an already pretty lonely society and then a public health pandemic and physical distancing requirements.

And as a quick example of sort of the way that people are dealing with this: I have a friend who is the primary caregiver for his grandmother, who is in a long term care facility, and he's not been able to see her for the last three and a half months and the doctors have told him that she's nearing the end of her life. And so, he's really having to grieve, that he's not getting to have these experiences with his grandmother at the end.

And even though he lives with a partner and isn't alone physically, as Amy suggested, I think he may feel lonely by virtue of not being able to connect with the people he loves.

And so, there are a lot of consequences that people are going to experience as a result of experiencing this kind of loneliness. And some of this we're already seeing coming out in the form of more overdoses, more overdose deaths, more alcohol related deaths, more suicides. And all of these things are attributable, at least in part, to limiting our human interaction.

4:09 Amy: And you bring up a good point, Alex, with older adults. And certainly, the news and media has highlighted the way in which their susceptibility to COVID-COVID-19 has isolated them today more than ever before. There is a study out of the University of Chicago that found the pandemic has made about a third of adults, 70 and older, lonelier than usual.

But going back to the millennials of what you said too, they’re reports that the millennials are actually reporting to have the most feelings of loneliness than any of our age groups right now. And that was even before COVID-COVID-19.

So, I think we also want to make sure people recognize that loneliness has been a problem or a challenge for our society even before this pandemic occurred.

I do think too, just because I work with older adults and that's been my field of study for quite some time, I do think that the physical and social separation that has happened for older adults and their family members, like Alex is just saying with his story of his friends, that especially those living in long term care facilities, dying by yourself or not having access to your family or your close friends, I think that's one of the most heartbreaking of this pandemic.

I think this is so interesting; there was an article in the Pioneer Press, which is out of St. Paul, Minnesota, and that they were talking about in this article that families are literally watching their loved ones die of loneliness, not other things, I mean, the heartbreak of just being socially isolated and separated from their loved ones.

And they even listed there were three cases in the state of Minnesota where social isolation was listed as a cause of death. And that's really something to remark on because that is not a recognized cause of death in the vital statistics manual. But the state is recognizing the negative effect of loneliness on these folks who are living in isolation more than ever before.

There's even a -- I can go on and on about this. But I want to say one more thing. There is a geriatrician. His name is William Thomas, and he's been instrumental in looking at ways to make institutional care better for people who are living in them. And so, he always said that the three plagues of long-term care included boredom, helplessness and loneliness.

And so, I think that this National Day or that our Operation Kentucky Sunshine is really important. And that's what Dr. Thomas would say too, “We've got to find ways to be able to help people combat that so that we can add quality of life for these folks.”

6:41 Alex: That's well said. It really is a problem. And I think, arguably, those three plagues that Dr. Thomas talks about could be applied to all of us at this time.

The reality is that human beings are made to be social. There's some really interesting research because my work focuses on substance use, that social interactions actually activate the same parts of the brain that drugs and alcohol do. So, you sort of get a high; you get a flow of neurochemicals that makes you feel comfortable and calm and happy and healthy. And it's a necessary part of a steady, healthy diet for our brains to have social connection.

And really, it's widely available, social connections. It's kind of like the best organic medicine we have available to us. But interacting with loved ones through windows or through computer screens is not the same as physical touch; as being able to hug someone you care about and experience the release of oxytocin you get for poking someone and pulling them close.

And that's part of the reason why we're so concerned as our vulnerable populations are at risk. We don't want to introduce the virus into those settings, but we're just as concerned for the effects of their loneliness.

7:46 Jennifer: As I'm listening to you all talk. I can certainly think of friends that are similar examples here to how you share with parents or close family members that are in long-term care facilities and how they're struggling with this topic. And I'm certain many of our listeners can relate to that, too.

But then also on the other end of the spectrum, I just think about how all of us have had such a significant change in our lives. That to me, work is so much more lonely than what it has been before. Because even though and even as we're recording this right now and I can see Amy and Alex, it's still very different than how we might have recorded six months ago when we were actual face to face.

And so, I think just folks in general are really experiencing loneliness across the board. And we know that until there's a vaccine that people are going to remain vulnerable. And so, when we think about what are the costs of social isolation, given there are requirements to be physically distant, to be able to kind of keep the virus at bay. What do we think of as the costs of social isolation?

8:55 Amy: Well, research definitely demonstrates that people who have persistent feelings of social isolation and loneliness are going to have higher risk of developing mental and physical conditions. And those are going to be things like heart disease and high blood pressure, compromised immune systems, anxiety, even dementia, depression, as we've talked about, and even premature death.

But it does other things, too. I mean, loneliness can even put enough stress on you that you're at greater risk for contacting COVID-COVID-19. So, like you said, and we have a vaccine -- We know we have vulnerable populations, anyway. We've got older adults and we've got people with underlying chronic conditions.

But once your immune system is stressed, a lot of people are vulnerable. I mean, I've got nieces and nephews who are living in Florida right now, who have friends right now who have just been diagnosed with COVID-19.

And again, there's a big connection between mental health and the immune system. But, as Alex said, loneliness decreases your risk of recovery from illness. It can increase the risk for substance abuse and harm. The health consequences of loneliness can also be seen in changes of just regular routine and selfcare. That’s kind of like what you were talking about, Jennifer, with work.

We certainly know that a lack of routine and being cut off from activity or being cut off from people that you are typically around or seeing or talking to can negatively affect sense of purpose. And also, though, we have to recognize, too, that people have literally gone without interpersonal interaction, and that's part of what Alex said, that's hugging and touching, for months on end right now; some people.

So, because some of that daily interaction has disappeared. I think, too, we've got to be concerned that people have been less likely to talk about things that may be important or concerning or stressing to them as well. So, there really are a lot of risks that can occur with feeling lonely.

10:48 Jennifer: So, recognizing that there is a significant negative impact, what can we do to help? What can we do to help prevent that negative impact, to improve mental health and physical health related to loneliness?

11:04 Amy: Alex and I are going to come at this in a couple of different directions. So, I'll start by saying I'll take over the creative side. So, I think right now, I'm going to talk about and highlight just a few things that you're seeing on the news and in the media right now. And that's ways in which we can be creative.

Be creative to find ways to promote and to continue social connections. And again, I say continue because, Jennifer, you made a good point that we don't have a vaccine yet. And so, people, especially people who are at risk of COVID-19, are going to have to continue to be really careful of exposing themselves. They might not be able to be at these groups of 50 or more people starting on Monday when we start Phase 3 of the rollout in our state, for example.

So, we're going to have to continue with the video conferencing in the video chats and the regular scheduled phone calls and different ways that we can use social media to show pictures and say this is what we're doing.

I think that sporadic reminders of love and care and concern are really important. So, that just might be a text or a photo or a message out of the blue, a letter in the mail, even that just says, “Hey, I'm thinking about you. I love you” or “I just wanted you to know this (whatever happened) reminded me of you today.” I mean, I think those are really ways that can make people feel good.

But other things, too, that it's not just spreading the joy. It's also about taking care of yourself. So, it's finding ways to stay engaged, it's finding ways to keep learning, to keep your mind active. I know there's all these home-based activities that we're going to have to continue to do. And then there's, of course, all the self-care, too. So, it's eating healthy and getting enough sleep and just keeping yourself in a good place as much as you can.

12:45 Jennifer: So, Amy, in listening to you talk and you're now an expert in this, because you all know my family, but our little girl is a very social child. And so, even though her dad and I and her brother have been with her more than probably we have her entire life over the last several months, you can tell that she misses her friends and misses going to school and misses soccer and dance and all those things in life. And you can also tell that she feels a little bit lonely because of it. But she's an extremely creative child.

And so, some of the things that you just listed off are things that I can really tell make a huge difference to her. She's drawn pictures and mailed them to the grandparents. She painted pictures for her teachers that we had to go drop off on their porch; things that just have helped her, I think, still feel connected to those that she loves. And again, she has such a creative spirit that you can tell that doing this type things really and truly feeds it.

13:49 Alex: Yes. Jennifer, you mentioned that you can sort of sense in your daughter desire for more social interaction. It kind of reminds me of when I go on vacation and I eat really bad food for a week and the day that I come back, my body just craves something healthy. It's like, “Please, for goodness sake, give us something nutritious.”

I think our brain does the same. When we're isolated for so long, our brain knows what our needs are and it's crying out for connection. And if we can't get that through other human beings, we have to look for other strategies. And my favorite place to look, for some time now, has been Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, who the world considers the foremost expert on happiness.

So, she wrote this book, it’s really cool. It’s called The Hour of Happiness, that compiles all of the research on happiness. And she essentially gives you a guide to make yourself happier. Who wouldn't want to make use of that?

14:36 Jennifer: Exactly?

14:37 Alex: And she gives great strategies; some that Amy have already mentioned. But I'm partial to those that arise from mental health and substance use recovery. Those who have sort of the worst mental health profiles, the strategies that they use to cope are probably the most beneficial; the most useful.

So, I'm just going to plug a couple of these because in our Sizzling Summer Series, we're going to dive much more deeply into some of these strategies.

But for instance, mindfulness has a host of positive side effects. You know, when you see one of those pharmaceutical commercials for blood pressure medication and it has this ridiculous list of negative side effects. Well, mindfulness meditation is kind of like the opposite of that. It has this ridiculously long list of positive benefits, even for as little as 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation a day.

So, for instance, just a little bit of meditation leads to less electrical activity in your amygdala. And your amygdala is your fear center. So, quite literally, mindfulness meditation makes us less fearful. So, people who experience anxiety in social interactions. It's the perfect way to make you feel more calm and comfortable.

It also lowers cortisol levels. And cortisol has been called the enemy of happiness because cortisol is your fight-or-flight response. It’s your stress hormone.

And then lastly, just in the same way that lifting weights builds muscle fibers in your arms and legs, meditation actually builds grey matter in the parts of your brain associated with coping. So, it actually makes you stronger and makes you more resilient.

So, that's one example of one strategy. We're going to cover many more approaches as a part of the Summer Sizzling Summer series.

But it's important to know that Dr. Lyubomirsky would say, “40 percent of our happiness is within our control. 40 percent of our happiness is a result of the intentional activity in which we engage every day.” And to me, that's optimistic because it means I can exercise, I can meditate, I can write a letter, I can engage in acts of kindness. I can do all sorts of things to impact my own happiness.

16:32 Jennifer: And I will say, Alex, as we're talking about the how of happiness, that that's actually a book that we integrated into one of our classes on Family Resource Management, which you often think about, that is how do you manage your money or what's the car buying process or the home buying process that several semesters ago, as we were {indistinct 16:53} with our college students and talking to them and kind of trying to identify what are the skills that they really need to be successful as they leave here and go and embark on adulthood, that we really felt like they needed just some of this knowledge and information about essentially how to be happy, how to kind of build their life around. What are those intentional activities that they could do to increase their overall happiness? It's a great book.

17:21 Alex: It is.

17:22 Jennifer: Okay. So, Amy, share with us, how can we observe the National Cheer Up the Lonely Day?

17:28 Amy: Well, a lot of it is, Jennifer, some of the examples that both Alex and I have already given to you. But you can go on to the website. If you just have been Googled, “Cheer Up the Lonely National Day”. Again, Jennifer, shared that it was on July 11.

And they've got a whole list of different things, too. And you've seen stories on the news of what people have done. You gave examples of what Abby has done, which is just fantastic. But again, I think a lot of it is just being creative.

And now, too, that we are opening up a little bit more, I think there are opportunities that we can stay six feet apart with, if it's not within family that you've been quarantining with, that we're able to get outside with it being summer to and going on walks and absorbing nature and maybe getting together and baking with someone, instead of by yourself this time. Reading books out loud to a friend who might not be able to read for themselves, setting up playlists for people with inspirational music.

I mean, there's just so many things that that we can do. And again, these are just a few examples. And Alex and I, during the Summer Sizzling Series, during this week of Cheer Up the Lonely Day, we're going to highlight a lot more ideas and ways in which people can do that.

And I don't know if we want to share a little bit about some of our own challenge within the consumer sciences?

18:43 Jennifer: Certainly, as we wrap up today, just to share with our listeners, as Amy mentioned, that we've kind of built a theme week around National Cheer Up the Lonely Day, and we are calling it Operation Kentucky Sunshine, with really this idea of spreading sunshine and cheer throughout the state.

And so, we've identified a different theme for each day and for people to kind of participate and rally around. So, we have Mow It Monday, which we're suggesting provide free lawn and garden care to someone who may be unable to do it themselves.

We have taken Bake Tuesday, which is provide a meal or baked good for a neighbor, a family member or friend.

Word Up Wednesday, which is write a note, send a card or post an encouraging message to someone who is in a care facility or maybe is confined to their home.

Transform Thursday, which is share a unique way that you have transformed something. It could be something like a sidewalk chalk mural down your street.

You could share a box of sidewalk chalk with everyone on the street and encourage them to share an uplifting drawing or message. You could plant flowers around an unsuspecting neighbor’s mailbox, give an entrance sign to your neighborhood, give it a facelift, or maybe even attach helium balloons to the mailboxes going up and down your street. All different options out there for you.

Feel Good Friday. And with that, we're asking folks to share how Operation Kentucky Sunshine has made them smile, brought a smile to someone's face throughout the week.

And then I think this is an important one as well, that sometimes folks don't take the opportunity to do. But we have Selfcare Saturday, which is do something for you today.

And I think it's so important that as we talk, to remember we need to take care of ourselves as well. We do really want to try and remain positive and encourage folks to celebrate the National Cheer Up The Lonely Day and engage at Operation Kentucky Sunshine to maybe remove a little bit of loneliness from the world, over the course of this week, and spread recognition and pave the way for a more socially connected feature.

So, Amy and Alex, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm definitely looking forward to your Sizzling Summer Series webinar. I'm very impressed with how many times you all said that during the podcast and never slipped up. It's really hard to say together. But thank you all for being with us today.

21:17 Alex: Thank you so much.

21:18 Amy: I'm excited too, Jennifer. And I just want to say, too, that there's a date that you highlighted as the week of July 6th.

21:24 Jennifer: Yes. Thank you, Amy. I should have mentioned that too; the week of July 6th. Wonderful. Thank you all.

21:29 Alex: Operation Kentucky Sunshine.

21:31 Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition, health, resource management, family development and civic engagement.

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Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension program or contact your local extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. We build strong families. It starts with us.