Does Social Isolation Lead to Social Distortion?

I can't remember the last day I was out of my house. I have my groceries delivered and my children go out and get the medication I need (or the dogs need).  I know for certain I have been home since the STAY AT HOME order delivered by Governor DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton.  That is my contribution to saving lives.  I do what I am told in this uncertain time of this pandemic.  I do get to watch out my window though and wonder where the lines of cars are going.  I imagine they are going to an essential job or to the grocery story to get needed items.  I can't imagine that these people are going out shopping for enjoyment's sake, are they?  I do wonder why these cars have two adults with multiple children in the cars.  Can't one parent stay at home while the other does the essential running?  I'm not in their particular circumstances so I don't really know what they are thinking so I'll just judge my own behavior and not other's behaviors. 

I have to admit, there has been more than one time I have thought that we may be facing a Microbe Armageddon.  This enemy has got us fighting a foe that can't be blasted with guns or weapons of mass destruction; it has to be fight with time and intelligence.  It has to be treated aggressively while not splattering it all over the universe.  Slowly but surely we must encapsulate this aggressor and get rid of the potential things that make it flourish.  Suffocating its lifeline can be accomplished by social distancing. The problem is that social distancing sounds too easy, until you actually try to do it.  Social distancing is not to be confused with social isolation.  Social distancing is keeping a safe, physical distance between people; social isolation is keeping an unhealthy distance mentally between you and those you interact with on a semi-regular basis.  Facetime, Skype, Zoom are just a few ways to stay in contact the best you can with those you care about.  Doing those types of social media helps break the solitude one feels when having to stay at home alone. The worst isolation is if you live alone and don't get to see ANY human contact because of social distancing.  This type of distancing without a virtual face can lead to extreme lonliness; maybe even social distortion.

In all of my 63 years, I have never seen our future so bleak in many ways but still with the hope that we will not succumb to this pandemic completely.  We have to be smart.  We have to do things we don't want to do.  We have to stay away from people we love and care about in an effort to keep them healthy and alive.  Currently there are over 2500 cases of Covid-19 in the state of Ohio with 18% not in the ICU and 8% in the ICU with 65 deaths in Ohio.  The CDC describes our co-morbidities as greater than 65, those that reside in nursing homes, lung and heart disease, diabetes, immunocompromised (including smokers), just to name a few.  Even if these things are controlled, you are at risk but if you don't care about yourself, you still are risking other lives even if you feel "great." 

I want to come on top of this a victor.  I will do my best to STAY AT HOME and do my life saving activities there.  I can do something to stop this pandemic.  We can flatten the curve like Dr. Amy Acton says we need to do.  We can make this pandemic less toxic than it is right now by STAYING AT HOME and keeping your social distance.