Self-Isolation: A Necessary Evil
As of the day that I am writing this, here in the United States, we currently find ourselves going into month seven of being in various states of lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. And, as we keep being told, this is an unprecedented time. The unemployment rate has gone up, we are strongly encouraged to stay away from our loved ones, and self-isolation is considered to be a top way of keeping COVID cases from rising even further.
Many of us are doing our part to try to stop the spread of the pandemic even further through this tactic of self-isolation. But, what has its effect been on our mental health when face-to-face interaction with others is essential for our sanity and stability?
When the lockdown began, I was really making the most out of the self-isolation because I’m an introvert. I got more time to do things that I loved to do on my own including catching up on reading and just plain relaxing on my own without feeling any sort of obligation to spend a lot of time with others because we were supposed to be self-isolating. It was kind of a magical time for my introversion to just hit a reset button without giving myself any sort of pressure. I felt this way for about three weeks, then the I-need-to-socialize-with-someone-who-isn’t-my-parent-or-sibling-NOW feeling hit me like I ran into a brick wall. I decided to have a check in with one of the biggest extroverts that I know, one of my cousins, to see how he was coping with everything. As I suspected, things were not going well. As he gets energy from being around people and socializing, someone who I consider to be one of the most lively and up-beat people I know said that he was feeling a way that he was not used to. Even though he was living with his parents (some level of social contact), he was feeling lethargic and down; two states that I was starting to feel most days, as well.
After chatting with my cousin, I resolved to make time for my friends again through Skype, Zoom, or plain old chatting on the phone. I wound up speaking to all of my friends in some way, even some whom I hadn’t spoken to in years over the following couple of weeks. Although feeling a spark in joy while chatting with my friends once we hung up, I immediately became low energy again. I noticed that not only was my energy continuing to decrease day by day, but my mood was beginning to drop -- something that I have never experienced before on a consistent basis. Many of my friends were feeling a similar way, in some cases to even a worse degree.
With the lethargy, my appetite was diminishing, I had little to no motivation to pursue my goals, and I was having more consecutive days of dealing with severe anxiety than I have ever experienced before. I found the last two symptoms the most startling as I find myself to be a highly ambitious person who fantasizes to the point of obsession about my future goals. I want to make a difference and help people in any way that I can, and these lofty aims seemed to diminish to the point where I felt like I shouldn’t even try because I felt it wasn’t even remotely possible of achieving these goals. Thankfully, this feeling only lasted a few days, and I know for many these types of feelings can last much, much longer than that. In terms of my anxiety, it was like this tyrant that I had no way of controlling. It became worse one night when I felt like I couldn’t even identify my own thoughts because they were rushing through my mind so quickly and I couldn’t get close to them. In hindsight, this could have been an anxiety attack. I was feeling some degree of anxiety most evenings and I found myself drinking one or two beers or glasses of wine most nights, which is much more than I was used to as I typically only like drinking when I’m with friends or out to eat. This time period of high-anxiety and low motivation lasted a little over a month, and it is not a month in my life that I would like to repeat. The lack of socialization only exacerbated these things. So, if you have felt a similar way due to any reason coming from the pandemic not just self-isolation, please know you are not alone!
While I was speaking with friends, many were telling me about having a similar response due to the pandemic and self-isolation: they were drinking more. I even saw a news report about the increase of alcohol purchases across the country. According to a Seattle Times article discussing a survey conducted by RTI on 1,000 participants about alcohol consumption, “respondents on average upped their daily alcohol intake from 0.74 drinks in February to 0.94 in April.” The article also reported, “nationwide alcohol sales climbed 26% between March and June this year, according to Nielson Corp.” The article also postulates that this could be due to stay-at-home orders and self-isolation which are contributing to people’s mental health struggles.* Please find additional information about this article at the end of this post.
Let’s try to break-down why a lack of in-person socialization has had such a profound effect on us. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the second tier is the Belongingness and Love Needs. In this tier is intimate relationships and friendships. After Basic Needs, Intimate Relationships are the top Psychological Needs to be met. No wonder many of us feel very down or more anxious because we can’t see each other in person as easily as we once could (and even took for granted).
What are some ways that we can try to combat these negative psychological reactions to self-isolation? My first encouragement would be to seek the aid of a health professional if your reactions are so averse to self-isolation and it feels like the right option for you. Not only do you get to work on yourself, but you can have social interactions with another individual. It’s really a win-win! Something else that has been helpful for me is daily meditation. Not only does it quiet the mind and bring you to the present moment, but it can help you to understand yourself and your needs more. I know that working on myself through introspection has felt like a real personal accomplishment during this period; it might be helpful for you, too. Or, read a book about other people’s experiences if you’re into that!
The best thing that you can do is reach out to a friend or loved one. Call them right now! Luckily, there are safe ways for us to see each other in person while still adhering to CDC guidelines to be safe in public. Take a walk with a friend at an arboretum or make plans to eat outdoors at a restaurant.
This pandemic will not last forever and soon we will be able to see each other in person at our leisure without having to take the current precautions. Until then, we just have to work a little harder at making sure that our psychological needs are met.
We can get through this together.
*Lukpat, A. (2020, July 20). Alcohol during the pandemic: Study breaks down who's drinking more, and how much. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/alcohol-during-the-pandemic-study-breaks-down-whos-drinking-more-and-how-much/
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