As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt everyday life and seniors are encouraged to take precautions, it can be natural to feel anxious about the way things are unfolding.

But with a change in mindset, it’s perfectly possible to reframe isolation from a frightening nuisance to something that has tangible benefits.

Here are four points to bear in mind, with great quotes from historical thinkers to put it all in perspective.

Isolation used to be perfectly normal – and was often preferred

Solitude has gone out of vogue, yet many of the greatest thinkers in history extolled its benefits. Nietzsche once said: “My solitude doesn’t depend on the presence or absence of people; on the contrary, I hate who steals my solitude without, in exchange, offering me true company.”

And writer Virginia Woolf famously pondered the joys of silence. “How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here for ever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork, things in themselves, myself being myself.”

It helps us become more productive

Everyday life can be full of distractions and social activities eat into a lot of our precious time. Isolation is a chance to reflect, to plan, to set things in motion – for ourselves. Got a book you wanted to write? Got books you wanted to read? Now’s a great time to explore these positive activities.

Ironically, it helps us become a nicer person

You’d think that losing social contact would fray your ability to socialize in future, but studies suggest that long periods of time spent alone gives us more empathy. If our friends and family are a safety blanket, isolation is the opposite, and with this safety blanket removed, we’re forced to connect with strangers on a deeper level. More empathy can never be a bad thing.

Solitude can be restorative – with the right mindset

Refrain from adopting the mindset that you’re forced to be alone, and instead see it as an opportunity to center yourself. Meditation, long walks and self-reflection will all help you find a certain peace.

Self-reflection, in particular, is important, and something we often don’t have time for. But as the Italian journalist Terzani Tiziano once remarked: “The only real teacher is not in a forest, or a hut or an ice cave in the Himalayas. It is within us.”

Know yourself, get comfortable with your thoughts, and prevent the external world form influencing your waking mood.