Isolation is one of the words we keep hearing these days with all this social distancing going on. It’s safe to remain isolated at home during the coronavirus pandemic in order to avoid getting infected or infecting others.
But the idea of social distancing in one and isolation can have another meaning, which is a dangerous issue. We can remain isolated at home, but at the same time, experts advise people to maintain their connections with the outer world via the phone or the Internet. Despite the fact that we’re spending a lot of time at home these days, we can still “hang out” with our friends via the Internet or the phone.
Isolation can lead to depression and other mental health issues
Complete isolation is the worst thing that one can do during these troubled times. Psychology Today addresses the issue in a really interesting piece called Social Isolation: A Modern Plague.
The toll of isolation is a terrible one – complete isolation can lead to a massive vulnerability to mental health illness. This is a major risk for the onset of depression, and it’s highly important to note that this has doubled in prevalence over the past ten years. More than that, there’s also growing evidence that isolation also boosts the vulnerability to all kinds of forms of addiction as well.
Intimacy vs. isolation
Intimacy versus isolation is another important issue that analyzes the problems that can occur in one’s personal life. We all undergo adversities in life, and these are called developmental conflicts – it’s essential to understand that if these are not resolved, people will continue to struggle.
On the other hand, people who fund the ability and strength to resolve such matters will be able to achieve various psychological skills that remain embedded thought the whole life. This issue is analyzed in-depth in Erik Erikson’s Intimacy vs Isolation study, and it’s definitely worth analyzing.
It’s important to understand that we can boost social connection even during these times of social distancing by simply talking to our friends and loved ones and keeping these relationships alive.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.