Written by: Valerie A. G. Ventureyra, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Paris, France
“There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.” (Leonardo da Vinci)
As most of the Western world is slowly exiting the strict lockdown mode imposed by governments to mitigate the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, and many individuals have become accustomed to working and even socializing from home, mental health professionals are starting to recognize the psychological effects of such “unnatural” measures, going beyond the exacerbation of previous psychological problems (depression, anxiety and OCD, just to name a few). For some, especially those who have found themselves in isolation or under stressful living conditions during the past few months, deconfinement, with its renewed sense of mobility and non-virtual human contact is a blessing. For others, (as I have already observed in some of my own patients) who have become excessively comfortable at home, surrounded and protected by their loved ones in an artificial cocoon, all the while avoiding the stressors of daily reality (commuting to work, dealing with unpleasant coworkers) and potential contamination by the virus, the return to the workplace and the outside world in general, have become problematic. The objectives of this article are, on one hand to foster awareness of the “deconfinement challenges” from a psychological perspective, and on the other hand, to propose some tips for dealing with them.
Challenge 1: Return to daily life outside the home
After over two months of strict lockdown and confinement in many Western countries, many people may find it challenging to return to real life (transportation, work, seeing friends…). There may be several causes to this type of difficulty, two of which are fear of contamination and conditioning to “Staying at home”, both of which may be partly attributable to media overexposure.
Some individuals are constitutionally (genetically and through learning mechanisms) more prone to anxiety, which basically means there is a tendency to expect the worst and fear the unknown. We are all certainly aware of the uncertainty that reigned during this pandemic and have in mind the countless examples of contradictory information that was given throughout this time (notably concerning the use of masks, the origin of the virus, the efficacy of treatments, mortality rates, social distancing measures, among other topics). Uncertainty is fuel for anxiety, and as such, anxiety of different kinds has certainly peaked during this pandemic. Those who have OCD for germ contamination or hypochondria related to transmissible disease have been hit particularly hard during this time and may require professional support. For others, the best advice, based on Cognitive-Behavioural therapy techniques, would be gradual exposure to going out into the world. Perhaps starting by taking walks and gradually distancing yourself from home, and then taking some sort of transportation, and doing this regularly. It is important to not allow more time to go by staying at home, as this only reinforces the fear.
Unfortunately, much of the information conveyed by the media was inaccurate and conflicting, and this has had the effect of keeping people in fear (and at home), which was reinforced by the continuous bombardment of the ubiquitous “Stay at Home” instruction. We are now starting to notice the counterproductiveness of many measures and see the actual statistics regarding illness and mortality rates. (At present the mortality rate due to Covid-19 is estimated at 0.2% among those who have contracted the virus, according to the CDC. This is no Spanish Flu, nor Bubonic Plague!) The best antidote to this is educating yourself and exploring alternatives to the official narrative. (Have you ever wondered why there is such rampant censorship on virtually all social media platforms in our democratic societies? Perhaps some lobbies feel threatened by some realities. Food for thought…) An interesting platform proposing many informative and thought-provoking interviews regarding the coronavirus pandemic and its medical, psychological, social and economic impact is the newly created Digital Freedom Platform on London Real (https://londonreal.tv/episodes/). Check it out and expand your horizons…
Challenge 2: Adaptation (Conformity) to New Rules and Measures and Looking out for Intolerance and Mistrust
With the gradual deconfinement and return to the real world, come many new (and often awkward) measures. My point is not to question these measures (although it is a good idea to think critically about the utility and sustainability of some of these), but rather to call for vigilance in our human interactions with friends, family, coworkers and strangers alike. During the several weeks of confinement when real human contact has been severely limited, and people have been conditioned to avoid others for fear of contamination, a few psychologically unhealthy and even dangerous behaviours have emerged. Who has not yet directly witnessed, or at least heard of, people not wearing masks being turned away from, criticized or even attacked in some cases? Interestingly, the efficacy of masks as a protective measure for the wearer, or individuals close by, is highly controversial, and probably detrimental to healthy individuals according to many physicians and scientific studies. (https://www.technocracy.news/blaylock-face-masks-pose-serious-risks-to-the-healthy/) Hence, it would be wise to respect someone’s choice not to wear a mask, and avoid more conflict than that which already exists in these turbulent times… The same reasoning can apply to other controversial topics that will be likely be debated vehemently in the weeks and months to come, including social distancing (which curiously ranges from 1m to 2m in different countries: no consensus nor scientific basis to this is available), treatment and supposed prevention measures, such as vaccines. (The safety and efficacy of the latter is rarely addressed, although the media pushes the idea of this as the panacea. (The following article proposes an enlightened viewpoint on this subject: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/vaccine-safety/covid-19-the-spearpoint-for-rolling-out-a-new-era-of-high-risk-genetically-engineered-vaccines/).
Again, the mainstream media has not been objective in depicting the risks and roles of these proposals. Many people, often paralyzed by fear and in a state of helplessness, have not even questioned these issues and have learned to accept them as truths, resulting occasionally in violent rejection of those who think otherwise, on issues that concern us all quite directly. A few psychological phenomena may be at play in conformity to “new norms” (often defying logic and personal liberties) and in the rejection of the non-conformists and their ideas. Studies in social psychology (S. Asch, 1951) and neuroscience (Berns et al. 2005) have shown that about 75% of individuals conform to incorrect information when under social pressure to do so, and that brain structures associated with fear, stress and shame (notably, the amygdala) underlie this response. Cognitive Dissonanceoccurs when one is confronted with evidence contrary to one’s beliefs, creating emotional discomfort and some type of adaptation to restore psychological balance. Sometimes the adaptation will come in the form of acceptance of the new information, and on other occasions this will result in obstinacy and even greater fervour in the original beliefs, as described by Leon Festinger in the study of committed cult members who had given up their jobs and homes expecting doomsday, and ended up becoming more fervent in their beliefs when proven wrong.
Keeping these phenomena in mind, we may be able to avoid blind conformity, conflict among ourselves and especially protect our civil liberties in the post-pandemic world.
Conclusions
The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly given rise to many transformations in the world and in ourselves. Some of these have opened our horizons and perspectives, such as Internations opening worldwide online activities to all members, allowing people who never would have met otherwise to interact and to participate in an even wider- range of cultural and social activities than ever before. Other changes, however, are more controversial and may even be even detrimental. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, my intention is only to provide awareness and some practical solutions to deconfinement and re-adaptation to the outside world.
If you feel particularly anxious and distressed during this time, seek the help of a mental health professional. There are many free psychological helplines that are dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic all over the world, and that continue to provide help in this time of transition. You can also seek online help from a licensed psychologist and/or psychotherapist in your region.
I truly hope that we consider this crisis as an opportunity to improve our World and shape it to be a better place for Humanity by defending our basic human rights of physical integrity, psychological sovereignty and freedom of speech. And let us not forget that life is about taking risks, and that the trade-off between security and freedom often does not tip the balance in favour of the latter, as Benjamin Franklin’s timeless aphorism reminds us: “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither and will lose both.”
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