With the spread of COVID-19 still on the rise, the public has been asked to continue social distancing.
While this is a vital strategy to slow the spread of the virus, it can increase feelings of social isolation and loneliness and take a toll on people’s mental health.
Dr. Matthew Faubion, Clinical Director at West Texas Centers for Mental Health, said that one of the most common problems he’s seen in patients recently is a loss of certainty, predictability and control in their lives.
“A lot of people live in this often-false belief that they’re in complete control of their lives — that the decisions that they make impact their lives and that they’re not going to be impacted by things outside of their control,” he said. “That makes life a lot safer, right? If you do everything the right way, then everything will turn out well for you. This loss of the illusion of control is really hard on folks.”
Faubion noted that in West Texas, there are not as many cases of COVID-19 as in metropolitan areas. Even so, many people still feel as though their lives are being uprooted.
“There’s a lot of impact on people’s lives,” he said. “Folks know people who are sick, and that’s sobering. Folks have lost their jobs, their lives have changed, they’re working from home, they’re homeschooling their kids, graduations have been postponed, family reunions are postponed, weddings are postponed.”
He said that hobbies had been disrupted because of closures and cancellations, and people are simply struggling with how to adjust their lives in the wake of these significant changes. Loneliness is a very real consequence of that, but there are ways to combat this issue.
“In general, virtual connectedness, staying in touch via phone or video or what have you, is far better than nothing,” Faubion said. “Connecting in some way with others, I think, is absolutely, critically important.”
Faubion said that the critical component to staying connected to others was to do so on a personal level, and often, which can mean scheduling times to talk or video chat. While staying informed is important, maintaining personal relationships is necessary in order to ease feelings of isolation.
“There’s no better way to make yourself miserable than to sit around and watch the news 24/7, because there’s so much really scary information that’s discussed,” he said. “One thing that I’ve underlined to folks I’ve talked to out here is that what happens in New York City is not necessarily what happens in West Texas. Those are different situations than what we have here. I’ve tried to get folks to put it in perspective.”
Getting a pet can also help with loneliness. Faubion said interacting with another living creature in your home can help tremendously.
Staying busy with activities you enjoy is a way to keep one’s mind off of isolation.
“Find things that make you happy, whatever they are,” Faubion said. “If it’s helping others or engaging in self-improvement — hobbies that you’ve wanted to pursue, things that you’ve wanted to learn or skills that you’ve wanted to pick up.”
Faubion also said that taking care of basic needs, such as getting proper nutrition, proper sleep, regular activity and spending time outside as much as possible were also incredibly important.
Taking moments to ground oneself is also calming.
“Probably the best way to do that is mindfulness,” Faubion said. “Just taking a second to think, to step back and check in with yourself. Take an inventory of how you’re feeling. Just ask yourself how today has gone and how you’re doing. That’s something that people don’t often do, but if folks can build that into their day, that can be helpful.”
Faubion noted that the State of Texas founded a hotline that is specifically directed toward mental health supports in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
It is available at (833) 986-1919 at any time.
Crisis line workers have the ability to connect people with local mental health centers as well.