Coronavirus Update: Tips To Avoid Isolation During Time Of Social Distancing
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- As we socially distance ourselves to prevent the spread of coronavirus, concerns are emerging over the long-term psychological toll of isolation.
Fortunately, there are ways you can cope with the loneliness, CBS2's Christina Fan reported Monday.
Millions of people across the Tri-State Area have been cooped up at home, ordered to self-isolate. People are resorting to creative ways to entertain themselves.
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With New York and New Jersey ordering all non-essential personnel to stay at home, it feels eerily apocalyptic -- and for most, scary.
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Brooklyn resident Eunie Kim, a self-proclaimed introvert, even admitted that she's even missing human contact. She told CBS2's Christina Fan that she's been working alone at home the last two weeks.
"I'm going a little insane just because I feel like I'm default looking at my phone or any screen in my free time, which obviously doing that repetitively and looking at news is a lot," Kim said.
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Psychologists say maintaining social contact is imperative during this time.
Whether it's through setting up FaceTime calls or live gaming sessions with friends and family, experts say it's important to stimulate our brains.
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Dr. Konstantin Lukin, Clinical Director at the Lukin Center for Psychotherapy, recommends for people to try to stick to a regular schedule and to keep themselves preoccupied.
"If we are static in doing nothing our metabolism rate decreases, similarly for our emotions. Our emotions are not meant to be static in one place. They are meant to be able to interacting with others," said Lukin.
Lukin warns that sitting on the couch can led to dark thoughts and sadness.
"We do well when kids and adults are engaged in activities. We don't do well, and we know this as symptoms of depression, is when people show apathy, they show no interest in doing things," Lukin explained.
Social isolations shouldn't mean loneliness.
