Re-Entry After Covid Isolation

Writer Claire Alexander draws upon her mental health reporting and her own experience in her new novel, Meredith Alone.

The book takes readers on her main character Meredith’s courageous journey from self-imposed isolation to recovery and renewal.

When I read the book, I found myself responding personally to Meredith, who felt like a kindred spirit. After years of Covid isolation, change and loss, I, too, am reaching out to rebuild my life.

As the author, Alexander, said,

Meredith had 1,214 days of self-isolation under her belt months before COVID-19 turned our lives upside down. She’s basically in long-term lockdown, doing jigsaw puzzles, baking cakes, and forming online friendships long before the rest of us.

When the novel begins, Meredith has been living alone for over three years, working remotely and having groceries delivered, with only her cat and an occasional visit by an old friend for company. After growing up with an abusive mother and suffering a traumatic experience in adulthood, she has withdrawn into a safe routine of baking, doing jigsaw puzzles, and maintaining friendships online.

Although she has not been officially diagnosed, her active avoidance of public spaces, anxiety about leaving home, and panic attacks meet the definition of agoraphobia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

Claire Alexander

Source: Claire Alexander, used with permission

Meredith’s world slowly expands as she gradually reaches out—to her online therapist, a volunteer from a local charitable organization, and a visit from a new online friend.

In a personal communication, Alexander pointed out, Meredith’s recovery emerges from companionship–from pet therapy, the supportive community of her therapist, and a small circle of friends–and her own self-awareness and inner strength. “It takes real courage,” Alexander said, “to reveal your truth, to open yourself up and ask for help. It takes Meredith a while to get there” (2022).

Lessons for Us Today

As we emerge from years of Covid isolation, we, too, can learn important lessons from Meredith’s journey from isolation to a more balanced life:

• The power of self-awareness. Working with her therapist, Meredith learns to practice a cognitive behavioral technique, recognizing and disputing automatic negative thoughts that have held her back. (Burns, 1980).
• The comforting presence of a pet. Meredith’s cat, Fred, provides her with companionship, caring, and contact comfort. Research shows how a companion animal can improve our emotional and physical health (Beck, 2014; Gan et al., 2019; Silcox et al., 2014).
• The importance of self-care. Even while isolated, Meredith makes herself healthy meals, does daily exercises with a YouTube video, plays with her cat, and finds joy in baking and piecing together jigsaw puzzles of far-away places in the world outside her small apartment.
• The benefits of a personal circle of support. Meredith develops a greater sense of trust and safety by staying in touch with her old friend Sadie and becoming friends with Tom, a charitable organization volunteer, and Celeste, a new friend she meets online. And when she tries to venture outside, even brief interactions with a neighbor boy bring her a sense of connection and community, which as psychologist Barbara Fredrickson (2013) has found, builds our emotional and physical health.

Loneliness and Solitude

In the novel, Meredith’s journey takes her from lonely isolation to a healthy balance of solitude and community. As the author explained,

There’s a vital difference between loneliness and solitude: I’ve cherished being alone for as long as I can remember, and the loneliest times in my life have been when I’ve been in a relationship, or surrounded by lots of people with little opportunity for solitude.

But there’s a fine line between taking time out from other people in order to recharge, to remember what’s important to us, to simply be still and quiet, and withdrawing from the world to such an extent that ‘alone time’ becomes true, heartbreaking loneliness.

Like her character, Meredith, Alexander values time for reflection in solitude. She recognizes when she feels lonely and says,

I check in with a friend, I make exercise and fresh air a priority, and I try to channel the energy into something creative. Like Meredith, I’m a big advocate of pet therapy. My two dogs are incredible mood boosters.

Finally, as Meredith’s story and our own efforts to reconnect after Covid show us, moving from isolation to greater balance is an ongoing journey of discovery as we reach within for greater understanding and reach out to connect with the world around us.

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This post is for informational purposes and should not substitute for psychotherapy with a qualified professional.

© Diane Dreher 2022