Managing Isolation

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Kiley Hanish, OTD, OTR/L

By Kiley Hanish, OTD, OTR/L

I feel like I should have written this a couple weeks ago but now know that I couldn't have. I was deep in isolation and trying to manage the overall fear and uncertainty brought about by COVID-19. Depression crept in. Loneliness became a frequent visitor.

I am a natural introvert who craves my alone time. I need quite a bit of empty space and time, allowing me to recharge and fill my cup. Usually, life is so busy that my necessity for alone time is a priority.

So now, when we are forced to isolate from each other, you’d think that I’d be overjoyed with all of this time away from other people. However, that is not at all what I’m experiencing. I realize that I desperately need to be around people. The interchange of energy between two or more people gives me life.

When isolation is not a choice - when it’s imposed on us - it can feel overwhelming and paralyzing.

I believe that for some of us, the currently mandated quarantine triggers us, reminding us of other times in our lives when life experiences led to isolation (maybe due to grief or trauma). This leaves us not only dealing with the current pandemic situation but certain portions of our past experiences that are resurfacing. And that can be too much.

So, what can we do? Well, I’ll share what I’ve been trying to incorporate into my own life.

  • Acknowledge that I am feeling lonely and depressed.

  • Connect my emotions to my own loss experience, when I felt completely out of control. (Again, more awareness)

  • Make it a point to get outside every day (usually by taking a walk), to be in nature and see other signs of human life.

  • Set up FaceTime calls with my siblings and close friends.

  • Reach out to my therapist when I need the extra support.

For you, what might be a first step to regain a sense of control? Do you need to reach out for extra support to manage the emotions that are coming up? Or perhaps a past life event has resurfaced - one that you thought you had worked through. Take some time to go inward, acknowledge what is coming up, and what you need to feel safe.