A common phenomenon that often occurs in jailed criminals is psychological instability arising, as a result of being imprisoned (i.e., going stir crazy in the common vernacular)

Interestingly given the restrictions on the face to face social interactions (masks and distancing) coupled with general encouragement to stay home,  many people are experiencing this symptoms.

Fear of the Unknown

Confinement to ones home coupled with limited ability to predict when things will return to normal impacts the way we behave, sometimes even without us consciously recognizing the effects.

The first step to addressing the behaviours associated with uncontrolled confinement (involuntary) is to recognize them.  The stress of change coupled with not knowing when things will return to normal can cause us to behave erratically.

Domestic Disputes

The local police recently reported a higher incidence of domestic disturbances over the past month.  I attribute this to the effects of going stir crazy.

Typically one of the first symptoms of psychological distress arising from confinement and forced close quarters is the dropping of etiquette associated behaviours.

Social norms can go by the wayside when you don’t have access to society, just those you stuck in the house with.  Driven by the personal stress arising from an unknown future, playing nice does not appear to be a priority for many of us.

No Regrets

If you seek motivation to identify and shut down the effects of going stir crazy, just remember, it is not a valid excuse for bad behaviour and if you don’t hold it in check you are most likely to suffers regrets in the future.

Nothing good comes out of letting confinement adversely affect your psychology.  Take charge, overcome the feelings focus on when you will be free again.