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“FEAR IS WHAT CAN’T BE TRUSTED”
It is easy to engage in labeling and discriminating against others when it is convenient for us to shift
blame. During the AIDS epidemic, members of the LGBT+ community, the majority of those that were being
infected, were seen as being punished by God for their lifestyles. During the ironically named Plague of Cyprian
which was pervasive in the Roman empire in the third century, Bishop Cyprian used this as proof that his people’s
religion was superior to that of the Romans’. As the threat of being infected increases, our tolerance for the differ-
ent, the deviant, and the eccentric decreases. In a psychological experiment done by Mark Schaller, participants
showed a clear difference in their answers when primed first with the threat of contagion; that is, when they were
reminded of bad memories related to illness, participants gave answers that conformed with the majority and with
precedents. The answers that they gave in another prompt were also considerably less progressive; when asked
whether they prefer those who were more conventional and traditional as opposed to those that were more cre-
ative and artistic, the participants were less likely to prefer the latter. When we fear something, we want to attribute
that fear to and associate it with something tangible because it is much more threatening to us if the thing that we
fear is unknown to us. It isn’t hard to see why when we feel threatened by epidemics, the little things in life that
feel out of place and even mildly threatening to us ought to make us feel more defensive, whether that be a healthy
person with allergies sneezing or a Chinese tourist.

“I SOMETIMES FANCY THAT IN MY CONDITION IF I HAD LESS OPPOSITION AND MORE SOCIETY
AND STIMULUS”
Social distancing is crucial to stopping the spread of Covid-19. Yet, we have seen from Stephen King’s
The Shining to Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper that while solitude might help us in reducing the
spread of Covid-19, it is also extremely detrimental to our mental health. We humans have evolved to become
social animals because in the past, being alone meant you had less food, less protection, fewer chances to mate,
and thus, less chances for survival. Our bodies have adapted to expect social stimulation from us. In a study done
by Brigham Young University, social isolation resulted in a fifty percent increase in premature death, from the
hundreds of thousands of people that participated. We have evolved to automatically become stressed and anx-
ious when we are alone, both because of the decreased amount of cognitive stimulation, but also because of our
increased vulnerability. This stress is correlated with increased levels of the hormone cortisol, which is unhealthy
when exposed to our nervous system for a prolonged period of time, and is also correlated with a less efficient
immune system and even depression. While social distancing is pivotal in stopping this pandemic, it is always a
good idea to not let it affect our mental health.

SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO IN ISOLATION TO HELP COPE, MENTALLY…
Don’t obsess over data - while it is always important to stay informed about how serious the pandemic is, doing so
constantly i.e. every five minutes can morph into more anxiety and fear of the pandemic. Monitor how often you
do this and control yourself.
Prioritize things that you can control - from basic health precautions like washing your hands before meals and
other intervals to staying at home and committing to social distancing.
Keep in contact with trusted friends and family members - it keeps your brain stimulated and talking can help
relieve pent up anxiety about the situation.
Don’t beat yourself up - if you’re feeling low or even overly anxious, don’t blame yourself; lots of other people are
going through the same thing!
Keep a journal - documenting your thoughts on the current situation and what you plan to do when the situation
becomes less intense can help with keeping proper checks and balance on how you view the pandemic as well as
your mental health.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to mental health professionals if you need it! - contrary to popular belief, going to the
psychiatrist’s or counselor’s does not mean you are a dysfunct, hopeless human being. In the same way that you
should go to a doctor when you need physical medication, you should also go to a mental health professional
when you need psychiatric or psychological assistance. This problem need not be as serious as depression or anx-
iety disorders, but if it’s getting in the way of you going through your everyday life, you should consider making
an appointment to make things easier for yourself!

Reference
Apter, Terri. “Epidemic Psychology.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 13 Mar. 2020, www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/domestic-intelli
gence/202003/epidemic-psychology.
Robson, David. “The Fear of Coronavirus Is Changing Our Psychology.” BBC Future, BBC, 2 Apr. 2020, www.bbc.com/future/artcle/20200401-
covid-19-how-fear-of-coronavirus-is-changing-our-psychology.
Magen, Jed. “Loneliness Is Bad for Your Health.” The Conversation, 20 Mar. 2020, theconversation.com/loneliness-is-bad-for-your
health-90901.
Smith, Melinda, and Lawrence Robinson. “Coronavirus Anxiety: Coping with Stress, Fear & Uncertainty.” HelpGuide.org, 30 Mar. 2020, www.
help guide.org/articles/anxiety/coronavirus-anxiety.htm.
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