VOA常速英语:美国隔离下的社交危机

Psychiatrists say the covid pandemic and the focus on social distancing has made us all a bit more lonely and a bit more awkward around other people. I would like to emphasize the consequences of isolation and loneliness the most, because it is no doubt an extremely important factor that affects both physical and mental health. People who spend a long time in isolation, like prisons or hospitals or Antarctica if you will, definitely lose certain social skills. And the longer they stay, the more they lose. Marchian Prohasko spent almost two months in Antarctica. He went there in early 2019 to write a book about the experience of being at a polar station. Later during quarantine, Marchionne often drew parallels with his time at the South Pole. When you are staying at home, sometimes you don't even want to see anyone, but you can always do so. But when circumstances force you to stay at home, you suddenly feel a certain constraint. You can't go anywhere although you would like to.

In Antarctica, it's the same. After returning from the expedition, it took some time for Marchionne to adapt to normal life. When I returned, on the one hand, I wanted to lie low for a few weeks, not to communicate with anyone, maybe only with the loved ones. What can I say? How can I explain it all? On the other hand, many of the things that are common here seemed pointless for a while. I went outside, people were going somewhere, what were they doing? Experts say there is little doubt people will lose certain social skills during the pandemic. Just as muscles atrophy without exercise, communication skills suffer from isolation. That's why it's important to take care of your mental health. Communication, human socialization, is no less important than work, exercise, diet, sleep, etc. This is an extremely important element. If people think that during quarantine, half an hour should be spent on exercising, people should also think about the importance of social communication. And experts add, even the smallest things can help. If our listeners wanted to improve their mental health today, I would advise them to call and meet with a good old friend with whom they have not talked for a long time, and just talk with him or her for a while. Sooner or later the pandemic will come to an end and the hope is that the world can get rid of the distance, and just get back to being social. For Hostapiarisch in Washington Anna Rice VOA news.