CULTURE
Our Larger Impact C O M I N G T O G E T H E R D U R I N G A T I M E O F S O C I A L D I S TA N C I N G BY KENDRA SOMMERS
T
he world is unpredictable. The world is uncertain. And the world, now more than ever, seems to hold an unforeseeable future that feels impossible to comprehend at times. While we can often feel helpless and disheartened by the constant stream of adverse news, it is important to remember that we can impact the outcomes if we all continue to work together in solidarity with each other.
"We can impact the outcomes if we all continue to
work together in solidarity with each other."
As the world closes and lockdowns are implemented, mass social isolation ultimately is going to impact individuals in ways humanity has not previously experienced. According to Psychiatric Times, “Social isolation [was implemented], first as part of preventive health care advice, and then, as a critical component of shelter in place or total lockdown decrees.” As social creatures, our lack of physical nteraction, exacerbated by the anxiety of the world, “[social isolation] can operate as a triggering . . . agent of loneliness, more so if the latter is already an established personality trait,” or coupled with preexisting mental health illnesses. The future appears grim, especially when mandatory social distancing is being practiced
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worldwide. And the impacts are nondiscriminatory, each group of people fighting different battles: “non-essential” workers losing their jobs, elderly folks in retirement and medical homes forced into confinement, the class of 2020 losing the last part of their senior year and graduation, all schools and universities shutdowns, fear for those that lack health insurance and more. The impact of forced social isolation is being referred to as, “a social recession to match any economic downturn also caused by the growing pandemic and it can have profound physical and psychological effects.” This information is not meant to cause or increase anxieties, but rather shed light on the real impacts this global pandemic will have on countries around the world. With this awareness, we can actively work together to combat furthering negative consequences. Dr. John Harles, professor of politics, said, “One thing that we could do, and I hope this happens on the other side of this, is [to] begin to think carefully about how to diminish the kind of anxiety that strikes people when they have these episodes . . . [of] extraordinary situations.”
