Philip Chard's Out of My Mind column is sponsored by AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop, which offers online classes in all genres and abilities of creative writing, as well as coaching and editing services. You can read past columns here.
You’ve likely seen lots of advice from mental health types, including yours truly, about coping with pandemic-induced social isolation and angst. However, like most so-called pearls of wisdom, several should be taken with a grain of salt.
First, comes the suggestion to maintain a daily routine. Habitual behaviors damp down anxiety by imposing a semblance of order on the chaos generated by COVID-19. But, over time, this strategy can backfire for folks who exhibit a “growth mindset,” one characterized by curiosity, a hunger for new experiences, and a need for intellectual and sensory stimulation.
If you are of this ilk, a fixed schedule with little variation can lead to boredom and agitation. Folks with a growth mindset don’t mix well with sameness. Their brains are highly susceptible to habituation, which is “the diminishing of a cognitive or emotional response to a frequently repeated stimulus.” Translation? To remain mentally engaged, these individuals need new experiences, not repetitive ones. For them, weeks of goose-stepping through the day creates a sort of restless brain fog.
The course correction here is to engage in “pattern interruption.” Because routines require repeating the same behaviors over and over, interjecting new experiences that interrupt these patterns wakes up the brain, activates curiosity, and staves off mental tedium. So, if you harbor a growth mindset, you need to dabble, experiment and generally mix it up.
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Don’t Escalate Anxiety
Inversely, for those with a fixed mindset, pattern interruption often escalates their anxiety. They are more comfortable with stay-inside-the-lines living. We know these folks struggle more with imposed change (e.g., pandemic) and that habits damp down their disquiet, so they should embrace routine, not disrupt it.
Other oft-quoted advice to take with a grain of salt is to increase family time. In dysfunctional families, this can escalate conflict and cause emotional or physical abuse. However, even among family members on good terms and supportive of each other, there are differences in how much of a good thing some can tolerate. Introverts, in particular, need plenty of alone time to balance out their people exposure. They appreciate their loved ones as much as extroverts, but, when it comes to family time, they are wired for “less is more.” As the comedian George Burns quipped, “The key to happiness is a close knit, loving family ... in another city.” While facetious, introverts grasp the theme.
Another recommendation is to practice good self-care. However, if this occurs at the expense of other-care, that’s problematic. If you’re a frontline worker, other-care is your modus operandi. But, if you’re isolating, it’s easy to grow too focused on one’s well-being alone, which actually undermines it. We get what we give. Supporting and caring for others, even remotely, helps us make a positive difference and reminds us we are not helpless against this life-changing pandemic.
In another vein, going outside is strongly encouraged, and should be, but how one spends time in nature matters. Sensory immersion in natural surroundings soothes angst and elevates mood, but many folks undermine this healing influence by using digital devices while outside. Faces glued to smartphones, music or podcasts blaring through earbuds, frequent glances at smart watches to monitor biometrics — use of these and other IT distractions defeat the purpose, which, obviously, requires more than using nature as a backdrop to cyberspace.
Finally, we are encouraged to talk about our fears with close friends or family. However, while some of us find comfort in this sort of sharing, others discover it only stokes the fires of their angst. Research shows those with a more relational coping style take solace in commiserating with others, while folks favoring a more introspective path often find sharing worsens their well-being. Differences in these styles should be respected.
During a pandemic, advice is doled out in broad generalizations applied across a vast population of unique persons. It ignores individual differences. Don’t ignore yours.
For more, visit philipchard.com.
Philip Chard's Out of My Mind column is sponsored by AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop, which offers online classes in all genres and abilities of creative writing, as well as coaching and editing services. You can read past columns here.
