When Self-Isolation Drives You A Bit Mad
Uncertainty is the only certainty, but one cannot say this is not a learning experience
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It’s been what, a month since lockdown? I’m in London, UK and it’s comparatively relaxed here than some other countries. We’re allowed to go food shopping and out once a day for some exercise, but my goodness, I’ve really began looking forward to my Tesco excursions.
We’re not allowed to do unnecessary journeys but I’ve found myself going for an aimless drive once a week. I know it’s a bit naughty and not really environmentally friendly, but I can’t seem to help the need to move around a bit.
We humans are creatures of variety. As the old sayings go;
‘Variety is the spice of life. Familiarity breeds contempt.’
There’s a certain comfort in familiarity; the predictability of routine, the safety of the same four walls, the comfort of the same faces. Too much of it though can become stifling. Being told you must maintain your life within the same four walls, those familiar faces must be the only familiar faces.
Something happens in the mind (well, my mind at least) which propels one to seek a change of scenery, still known but less familiar faces, a different set of walls. Or no walls at all, for an indefinite period of time.
It’s pretty much why we go on summer holidays. The change of scenery, of faces and of pace is somehow refreshing (the beaches and beautiful people probably also have something to do with it).
We’re creatures of Scarcity. When something is readily and easily available we take it for granted. Take away the freedom to have it whenever we want and we start wanting it SO much more.
This is called Reactance; when an already enjoyed freedom becomes restricted our minds fight to get it back. Psychologists reckon it’s become we’re creatures of progress, we can’t stand the feeling of regressing to a lesser state of lower freedom.
It’s a phenomenon observable in so many situations. Dangle a ball of yarn in front of a cat’s…
