The Little Blue Book

Start talking “isolation”, and nothing can quite match the experience of a winter in Antarctica. Confined to a cabin rocked day and night by howling gales, temperatures of minus-40 degrees Celsius outside, and, in the depths of winter, only three hours of sunlight - now that’s isolation. But any period of isolation in a confined environment with limited social interactions can trigger intense negative psychological reactions and also negatively impact general health. It is no surprise then that the scientists, researchers and support crews who ‘winter over’ in Antarctica are prepared physically and psychologically for the extreme conditions, isolation and confinement of the polar winter. It will also come as no surprise that participants in these crews use a variety of coping mechanisms and awareness strategies to cope with the mental rigours – and, for some, to thrive – posed by the physical extremes in these isolated outposts. Research conducted to analyse the stress reactions and coping strategies of ‘polar crews’, identified the following: 1, 2 • That psychological resilience is relative to the period of isolation; stress levels increase – even in resilient individuals – after the half-way mark, known as “the third quarter phenomenon” (when the realisation hits that the period of isolation is only halfway through). • That this third quarter is characterised by “low motivation, interpersonal tension and low mood”. • The expectation that this is likely to occur enables participants to prepare psychologically and emotionally (“there’s a tough period coming up…”) • Many slip into a state described as ‘psychological hibernation’. They use the certain knowledge that “this will end”, that “things will get better” to switch-off mentally and to dampen their emotional reactions. (“Don’t get angry or frustrated, this will pass.”) • That stress reactions can be controlled by adapting and choosing coping strategies. If the problem can be controlled or eliminated (problem-focussed coping), deal with it; if it can’t be controlled or eliminated, decrease the emotional reactivity (emotion-oriented coping), in other words, “chill, we’ll roll with it”. • Chronic stress can have a cumulative negative evffect unless there are coping strategies to dampen the stress response (the arousal). • That common stress reactions when in confined isolation include: − physiological activation (elevated levels of adrenaline or cortisol, increased blood pressure and faster heartbeats) − psychological responses (feelings of sadness, anxiety, sleeping problems), and, − behavioural responses (irritability, conflict or tension, lethargy). UNDERSTANDING ISOLATION (AND HOW TO COPE) COVID-19: The Challenge 42