How to Deal With Life in Long-Term Isolation. An unusual and insightful article by Tim Herrera as we head into winter. Cases of Covid-19 are climbing, and winter weather is going to cut off many of the lifelines — picnics in the park, running outside, outdoor dining — so many people have depended on for sanity this year. Vaccines are on the horizon, but even the most optimistic timelines put them months away. And time with family during the holidays, normally a bright spot in winter months, is all but canceled this year.

But there are ways to steel yourself for such a dark set of circumstances! In fact, some people have been through all of that and then some.

Take, for instance, an astronaut who spent nearly a year in space. Or the station leader of a research outpost in Antarctica. Or one of the eight people sealed inside the artificial ecosystem Biosphere 2 for two years in the early 1990s.

The New York Times spoke with these people to get advice on coping with life in extended isolation — and how to deal with not quite being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. https://nyti.ms/2JmPH9A