Isolation, Boredom, and Depression in the Time of Covid-19

Jolly title, don’t you think? But, it is stuff we all need to think about.

Once more, here in California we are back to shelter-in-place, places being mandated to be closed, and keeping contacts to a minimum. It’s no hoax, this coronavirus, and we have no desire to tempt fate, or virus gods, but by the same token, where do you draw a line? If the virus doesn’t kill you, isolation, boredom, and depression is probably killing some and may kill others.

It is important to acknowledge the negative effects all these have on others and yourself. From there, devising and working at strategies to counter all these is vital for survival and, hopefully, returning to a sense of thriving. A failure to acknowledge these negative effects, avoiding them, does no one any good as it is a perpetration of a  massive lie and denial of reality.  Facing these awful things gives us truths, and from there, actions to change the effects of these realities.

Life is not returning to normal, no matter what we are being told, or would like to believe. It may never return to the previous status quo – how can it? Our federal government is not doing much to help. There are daily lies and threats. That is depressing. It is also frightening. Fearful of our futures and fates, what can we do? It breeds a sense of helplessness, and that leads to all sorts of trouble.

It’s not like there is any fixed goal, such as vanquishing a tangible enemy, but rather an insidious, invisible foe. While we do not have children and aren’t out of work, I cannot but wonder how families are coping with home schooling and working at the same time, how people are coping with a lack of food, money or places to live. The US has few safety nets for people, and our culture of the rugged individual against the world is uncharitable. Self-reliance is important, but mutual aid is equally important, especially in troubled times. Now, we are isolated to stay healthy, and what few communities we may have are being taken away from us.

I admit it: this isolation and lack of social contact is taking its toll on me. I am depressed. I am bored. I am beginning to stay at home far too much; some health issues are preventing outings for now, and a number of my friends are ensconced in their own health and family issues. Texting is not a conversation or connection. A phone call is a rarity these days – it seems no one makes phone calls and has conversations like they used to do. Seeing a close friend or family member isn’t happening, and if it does happen, you wonder about the consequences. These daily intimacies, so taken for granted, have been removed from our normal lives. Finding fulfillment is difficult at this point.

This, to me, is what it must have been like to live in the uncertain times of WW2, or as a family who had members overseas fighting one of America’s stupid wars. Anxiety about loved ones. Fear about the future. A lack of accessibility to material goods. Not seeing the ones you love as they die alone in nursing homes. Wondering if you will end up in the hospital without access to medical care. These deprivations are not the norm for most of us. Doing without is the new norm, and while certain physical deprivations can be handled, the fear and isolation of normal human interactions preys upon the mind and spirit in sneaky ways. This is where self-reliance and introspection are necessary; making decisions to do something or not do something is an investment in yourself and others.

Writing about the effects of isolation, boredom, and depression helps me clarify what is going on in my murky emotions. Thinking about these and giving them names takes away their nameless horror. From there, yes, I can work on changing the nature of my daily life. I will get out of the house more, make a phone call to those who enjoy talking with me and ignore those who don’t seem to care, or let go of those who do not have the ability, such as a friend who is critically ill right now, and whose company I dearly miss. Valuing what I have and taking action is far better than wallowing in the fog of not thinking about the truth of what is my reality.

Yep, very self-centered. Understanding the inner world is vital for acting in the external world. Aimless actions and mindless reactions do little for me. I don’t feel my way around life, but try to find my place and the place of others within the context of my own reality. Then, perhaps, I can be of some help to others rather than a depressing blob of hopelessness.