Reconnecting after Isolation: Coping with Anxiety, Depression, Grief, PTSD, and More

In Reconnecting after Isolation, Dr. Susan J. Noonan draws on our collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to help listeners deal with the emotional impact of social isolation. Speaking as both a provider and recipient of mental health care services, Noonan combines her professional and personal experiences in an evidence-based and practical guide. Drawing on meticulous research and interviews with four psychologists, she outlines steps to overcome the emotional trauma of isolation.

The book touches on how social isolation, loneliness, and stress affect each of us individually and can sometimes provoke depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidality, and substance use. Describing specific lifestyle interventions that may help, it offers tips for developing effective coping skills; facing isolation-induced fears; improving sleep hygiene; building and maintaining resilience; adopting a healthy diet; overcoming the fatigue burnout; grieving a loss; engaging in regular physical exercise; keeping a daily routine or structure; maintaining contact with others; and more.

Dr. Noonan also discusses re-entry anxiety, the challenging experience many have upon returning to their prior lifestyle, and the difficulty of establishing new school and work routines following social isolation.