How does social distancing affect people’s mindsets?
It depends on how mentally strong you are.
Have you heard about solitary confinement? It is a cell in a prison where an inmate is kept all alone. No one to talk to. No sounds. Sometimes there is not even any sunlight. That is also social distancing although at an extreme level.
If you are talking about social distancing due to the COVID-19 virus, then you are in luck.
This is not as bad as you think it is. You still can be with your family and eat food. You can still watch movies and have fun. You can still post pictures on Instagram with the ‘Stay Home’ sticker on it.
Now, I cannot give a generalized outcome of social distancing on minds because there is no context.
I am from Kashmir and you might have heard about the fact that after August 5th, when Article 370 was revoked, all Kashmir was put under lockdown with no internet or calling services whatsoever. You couldn’t get out of your home and you couldn’t even call your own family members if they were in the house anywhere. No one knew what was going on in the world except for their own house. Imagine living in such conditions. Wouldn’t you lose your mind? Wouldn’t you kill yourself? Wouldn’t you go insane?
Let me repeat it so that you can actually get the seriousness of it:
No going out.
No internet.
No network services.
No broadband or Wifi.
Limited TV channels.
You have to remain in your house without all your basic rights and you cannot even complain to anyone about it.
How about that?
That is the ultimate level of social distancing and not even voluntary. Do you know how many mental illness cases did doctors see in Kashmir during that time? My own cousin was as a psychiatrist and she told me the stories of the patients she used to look at.
COVID-19 Social Distancing
When we talk about social distancing in this pandemic, it is not that bad. All we have to do is stay inside and work from home.
In fact, this is mostly good for us. Why? We get to spend time with our family. When was the last time you had a real talk with your father or your mother? When was the last time you remembered you had a sibling? When was the last time you looked in the mirror and actually looked at your real face? When was the last time you did not care about how you look? When was the last time you watched a movie on the TV and not on Netflix? When was the last time you went into the kitchen and cooked something on your own? Hell, do you even know where is the kitchen?
This crisis has given you a chance to stop and reflect on yourself. This is a chance you can know you. Self-awareness is a thing. And there has never been a better time to know yourself.
For the current situation, it depends on you how you take it. There are always 2 sides to a coin.
Some of us will be like, “We are stuck. We cannot do anything about our situation. We will wait for this to get over. I am losing my mind. I want to get out.”
Then there are people like, “This is an opportunity. I have so much time now. I can learn a lot of skills. I can improve myself. I will not waste my time worrying and complaining. When I get out of this crisis, I will be a changed person.”
So, to answer your question, yes, social distancing can have a profound effect on you but what also matters is:
- The context of the social distance.
- Your attitude towards it.
