Humans need to belong.
We know this from an evolutionary perspective, from observing an infant with their parent, and from messiness of COVID-19. The pandemic pulled people physically, psychologically, and emotionally away from one another. One can argue, the distance led to more people surviving, and I do not question that. However, I do add that in trying to survive we have seen an outpouring of anxiety, depression, and trauma responses. This is occurring in the children who are fearful of getting sick, the adolescents who strayed from their normal routine, the adults who were confined to their makeshift home offices, and the parents who are juggling it all.
With all of the cases I’ve seen during the pandemic, the string that connects all of the narratives is the impact of the isolation.
Isolation leads to wondering minds, boredom, fatigue, and loneliness.
Sometimes these experiences are hard to label or express, but they sit within our bones. The isolation takes something from us — leaving a feeling of unfulfillment and dissatisfaction. As those are experienced, humans begin to manifest various mental health related symptoms, such as a low mood, anger, poor concentration, changes in sleep/eating patterns, trouble feeling motivated, nervousness/worry, panic, racing thoughts, and feeling on edge.
Humans need to be physically present with other humans.
Sure, Zoom, FaceTime and GoogleMeets have been saviors to many, but I’ve seen that it’s just not the same. It’s not the same as sitting across the table from a person sharing a meal, as having the opportunity for the informal conversations in hallways and sidewalks, or as learning from an instructor or leader in the room. We find it hard to be present while staring at a computer. There are too many distractions, too many other demands in life that are in your eyesight, and too many feels about the loss of what life used to be like.
This need may have been taken for granted in the past but COVID-19 has put it front and center in our lives.
The constant advice that I have provided during the pandemic, seems simple – you need to get out.
There are safe (however you define safe) ways to interact with other humans that do not necessarily involve a computer or phone. It can feel hard to leave bed and it can feel hard to get out of your room or home. During the pandemic, it can feel dangerous to leave one’s home. With that being said, it is hard to decrease depressive or anxious feelings when we stay in the same place. Even if a person still does not feel well once they leave their room, they will still feel better than if they stayed.
Share this Story!
