The Epidemic of Solitude
'07.04.2020'
Source: TASS
Imitation of the usual daily routine will help to cope with the “epidemic of loneliness” caused by a long stay in four walls. It is important not to overwork at this time, as well as limit reading materials on the Internet and social networks and unsubscribe from alarmists in order to reduce stress, she said. TASS Gestalt therapist, psychotherapist Anna Bokova.
“In addition to the virus epidemic, people were overtaken by another equally terrible epidemic - the epidemic of loneliness. In a confined space, our brain is in deprivation. Suddenly and quite dramatically for him, the number of impressions and contacts dropped. <…> At the same time, the body feels heaviness, tension and fatigue. This is due to the fact that the growth of cells in the brain stops, which are responsible for the formation of memories, ”explained the psychotherapist.
Long isolation, she said, makes people obsess over fictitious situations and even see things that aren't there.
“There have been studies that have proven that isolation stops the processes in those areas of the brain that are responsible for controlling emotions and urges,” added Bokova.
“Social contact and sensory stimuli are critical to brain health and development. That is why, during forced self-isolation, it is important to try to preserve for the brain at least an imitation of the usual routine of life. For example, make a schedule of work and rest, which will include breaks for exercise, since the body is also suddenly left without the usual load. You also need to find an opportunity to go to the balcony without a phone, just get some fresh air and look at the picture on the street, ”said the psychotherapist.
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Refuse processing
“It is important not to overwork on self-isolation, but to switch to other impressions at the usual time. The temptation is high to continue working after the end of the working day, since there is still nothing to do. It is contraindicated to do this, especially in stressful conditions (and we are stressed from change). It is necessary, on the contrary, to help the brain to adapt and treat it with special care, ”said the agency's interlocutor.
From chronic stress, many begin to panic attacks. Since the brain does not distinguish between an imaginary and real threat and responds to all with the same release of hormones, it is important to limit yourself in receiving exciting information from the outside, the psychotherapist added.
“Limit reading the Internet and social networks, unsubscribe from alarmists, pay more attention to real cases in which fine motor skills are involved: collecting puzzles, knitting, sewing, painting pictures. It calms down, ”Bokova continued.
Also, according to her, it is important to rely on reality, and not concentrate on horror stories in the head.
“Call up with parents and loved ones by video link or at least by phone, so as not to imagine horror about them, write down what you can do in an epidemic and are doing, and refer to this list in moments of alarm. Otherwise, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, accumulating stress, is constantly on high alert, and then suddenly reacts to a minor change, to some little thing that just became a trigger, ”she said.
How to deal with panic attacks
“At these moments it is important to remember that panic attacks do not die, although subjectively it is experienced differently. Not a single person has died of them yet, and you will not be the first. Moreover, a panic attack is essentially closer to cardio training, so the body strengthens rather than depletes.
A panic attack is an uncontrollable reaction of the body, but since the brain, as mentioned above, reacts the same to thoughts and reality, it is important to keep the thought that this will end soon, I am not dying, you just need to take a comfortable position of the body and wait it out, ”Bokova said.
To cope with panic attacks, breathing in a paper bag helps: when you exhale carbon dioxide, and then again inhale it instead of oxygen, its concentration in the blood decreases, the brain calms down.
“But opening windows and going outside, on the contrary, worsens the situation, since the body is oversaturated with oxygen and hyperventilation occurs, which only makes you dizzy,” she said.
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Testing for a relationship
For some, being alone becomes stressful, for others, being with family or other people for a long time. Emotion control is impaired in isolation and many people quarrel. Also, according to the psychotherapist, chronic conflicts are exacerbated, which could have been overlooked or tolerated if the day was spent separately.
“Therefore, it is important for each of the household members to have an individual place to work, in the event of conflicts, to be able to disperse to different rooms, cool down, alternate taking care of children in order to give the partner an opportunity to rest. And, of course, to talk more, to articulate and agree on how to help each other in such an unusual situation for everyone. Also [should] agree that you will make all important decisions regarding the status of the family after the end of isolation, and not in a state of stress, since you are not in a state of resources, ”Bokova explained.
Psychologists expect an increase in two social phenomena as a result of this crisis: an increase in the birth rate and the number of divorces. Pepper Schwartz, professor of psychology at the University of Washington, says that "danger has the potential to both bring people closer and separate them."
“On the one hand, partners have the opportunity with someone to share the hardships of time, and on the other hand, in the absence of confidence that this is exactly the partner you want to be with, these difficult times can be a test for relationships,” the psychotherapist quoted him the words.
