Learning from Astronauts
by Betsy Tabac, April 18, 2020
“I can be lonely right in the middle of town. Being alone means there’s no one else around. Now I know I was alone in lunar orbit for three days, but I was not ever lonely.”
An article in the Washington Post came to my attention recently concerning strategies for managing isolation and loneliness. The article talks about research on astronauts who spent a great deal of time alone or in very close quarters with a few other people.
“Since the COVID outbreak hit the United States, these astronauts have been eagerly offering up their wisdom, urging those of us not used to forced isolation and social distancing to exercise, stay productive and be positive, find creative outlets, revel in nature, stick to a schedule, reach out to loved ones, and reconnect with old friends.”
Another recommendation: don’t count the days. Also: “File off the edges because if you have rough edges, there are going to be some scars.”
“. . . social distancing for long periods in orbit revealed that even NASA’s finest were endearingly human, prone to bouts of brooding and pity parties like the rest of us. The alchemy behind the “right stuff” has long been misunderstood, it turns out — teaching NASA to go lighter on the bravado and heavier on the patience and compassion.” (How are you doing on patience and compassion these days?)
Some astronauts kept journals. Here is one entry. “I think I do need to get out of here. Living in close quarters with people over a long period of time, definitely even things that normally wouldn't bother you much at all can bother you after a while. . . .” “I could tell there was some stress in the air because there were a couple very short tempered exchanges between us this morning,” wrote another.
You will find this article in the Washington Post at Even astronauts get ornery. The article came to my attention via Indianheader Larry Polivka.