Extended solitude commonly causes anxiety, low mood, irritability, disturbed sleep, endless repetitive worrying, a drifting sense of time and loss of motivation, and in some people sensory misperceptions such as thinking they hear a voice or a footstep. These are common, understandable responses to isolation and stress, they vary a great deal between people, and most can be reduced with structure, sleep, movement and contact with the physical world.
Long solitude affects mood, thinking, sleep, behaviour and sense of time, in ways that vary widely between people.
The Effects Come In Groups
- Emotional — anxiety, low mood, irritability over small things, emotional flatness. Over time, feeling that nothing matters.
- Thinking — poor concentration, forgetfulness, difficulty planning, and rumination: going over the same worries repeatedly.
- Sleep and body — trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or sleeping far more than usual. Appetite changes.
- Behaviour — neglecting hygiene or shelter, skipping meals, taking careless risks, or talking to objects or animals.
- Time and perception — days blur together, time sense drifts. Under isolation and poor sleep, some people misperceive sounds or movement, or hear what seems like a voice.
None of these has a fixed schedule, and individuals vary widely in which they get and when.
Why Each Happens
Without other people, there is no one to correct a worry or interrupt a loop, so rumination grows. Without a daily rhythm, sleep and mood drift. Poor sleep and stress also impair concentration and perception, and the combination can produce misperceptions even in healthy people.
Method: Matching A Defence To Each Effect
Step 1: For worry loops Write the worry down with one next step. Use Managing Fear & Anxiety.
Step 2: For poor sleep Fix times and keep the shelter dark. See Rest & Sleep Discipline.
Step 3: For flat mood and low motivation Move your body daily and finish one task. See Exercise as Antidepressant.
Step 4: For time drift Keep a written calendar and mark each day.
Step 5: For odd perceptions Check them against the physical world: go and look. If a sound is real, you can deal with it; if you find nothing, note it in the journal and make sure you are sleeping and eating.
When To Seek Help
If you hear voices that you cannot check, believe things you know are not true, or have thoughts of harming yourself, treat it as serious. Get help from anyone with medical or mental health training if one is reachable, and tell another person if there is one. See Warning Signs in Yourself. This article does not diagnose; it describes common experiences.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming you are going mad — most of these are normal responses.
- Ignoring them — they respond to action.
- Treating odd perceptions as proof of danger — check first.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Timeline of Deterioration — how the effects tend to build
- Combine with: Building Daily Structure — the main defence