Surviving Isolation

How to protect your mental health during times of social distancing

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“Sending love and strength to you all,” Smith later shared on social media.

The despairing expression on Sam Smith’s face is one many can relate to right now as the stress of the COVID-19 crisis proves hard to bear. Smith captioned the Instagram pic: “Stages of quarantine meltdown”, and looked to be in tears, leading hundreds of followers to reassure and support the singer.

Miley Cyrus admitted she, too, was finding it hard. “What would we give right now for it to be safe to open the door for somebody, but right now when we open the door, we think, ‘Oh, where’s my glove, let me get my hoodie … I’m not allowed to look at you, get six feet away from me,’” she said. “And so I miss that human connection. I miss opening the door for somewhere and having the door open for me.”

It’s not unusual to feel this way. In fact, it’s pretty normal for people to experience issues such as anxiety, depression and loneliness, particularly if they’re cooped up for weeks. As Sahra Behardien O’Doherty, principal psychologist at Sydney’s Mindscape Psychology, tells WHO, humans are social creatures, so suddenly being stripped of that can lead to negative – and heightened – emotions. “A lot of our routines revolve around social interactions.