This is when it typically gets hard in solitary, some time between 60-90 days. You’ve run out of ideas to keep yourself occupied. You begin to deeply long for real human interaction. People in institutionalized settings, such as prisons, hospitals, and nursing homes know this feeling well. It may look like depression, and sometimes there are depressive symptoms, but it is actually a manifestation of a particular type of deprivation. Humans need novel stimuli and natural interpersonal interaction. That is to say interaction that they choose, not ones forced upon them.
If you have noticed the restlessness or ennui; if you have lost motivation; if you have succumb to debilitating anxiety, well this is just a symptom of deprivation.
All is not lost. Hold on. It often gets better once people accept their reality and begin to have the ability to make choices about how they want to live in solitary. It also helps to remember that for us now, this is temporary. We know that there is an end point. Some of us may be isolating longer, and yet even we know that it will come to an end. That knowing can be important to hang onto.
Here are the last set of behavioral patterns that I observed, and I’m sure that I have forgotten some, but it gives you the picture:
8) Read as many books as possible: Some people attended GED or college classes in isolation, or read vociferously. School was mandated for some, and there were others who wanted to continue their education and use their time for self-improvement.
9) Get buff: Apparently there is an inmate in the UK who wrote a body building book for inmates in solitary. This is a go-to for some of the males, and probably females. Exercise increases the endorphins, gives you a sense of accomplishment and control. And nobody will mess with you when they see how swoll you got.
10) Try to encourage others: There were people who tried to offer words of advice and encouragement and mentorship. Some people developed better relationships with themselves and others.
11) Play games that you made up: This is self-explanatory and was a common response with the younger inmates.
12) Engage in extended letter writing campaigns: Whether it be to the local powers that be, or to a larger governmental body or advocacy group, this is another means to exert some control in a meaningful way that can offer a real chance for change.
13) Protest/Hunger strike: In the most extreme protest led to violence. This is the most dangerous for everyone involved. Mob mentality can take over and people stop thinking for themselves. No one person has a sense of responsibility. Hunger strikes rarely work. in many cases these forms of protest caused much harm to the individuals engaged in the protest.
We see protests now, and I wonder what harm people protesting are causing themselves. Peaceful protests are another thing altogether. I’ll talk about this in the next post.
14) Sing loudly to keep yourself company: I do this. Inmates did it. People throughout the world have been broadcasting videos of singing and dancing to keep themselves and others company.
14) Never come out again: This goes back to my first post on Solitary or Solidarity about agoraphobia. Some people in solitary were in danger before and were possibly still in danger afterward, so it is understandable that they might not want to leave, just as it is understandable that some of us with high risk factors for contracting COVID and suffering from complications might not want to come out again. That coupled with lack of clear guidance about when it might be safe and what governments will do to protect us further isolates us.
In the last part, I’ll focus more on Solidarity, because we all need one another and rely upon one another to protect ourselves. We can get closer emotionally and culturally, if not physically.
