SAN DIEGO — Krispy Kreme gave out free donuts to the class of 2020 on Tuesday and some people waited 3 hours in line to get them. Three hours for donuts!
Mental health experts say, under the current coronavirus conditions, they aren't surprised.
“Human beings are social creatures,” said Dr. Michael Lardon. “We're not meant to be alone.”
Dr. Lardon said having fun is an important part of mental health, but few of us are having much fun these days.
“You can only ride your bike so many times, walk around the block so many times, play in your backyard,” the psychiatrist said. “We just crave to get out of that to find some other ways to enjoy ourselves.”
Viejas Casino reopened its door Monday to lines down the block. Many visitors told us they’re not regular gamblers but just wanted to get out of their house and have some fun.
Dr. Lardon said anything that gives you a chance to escape is going to be popular right now. We saw that same scene play out when our beaches reopened.
“One of the very difficult things to the pandemic, it's really isolated people and that's created a deficit and so this is a rebound - a rebound to come back group together and feel some sense of normalcy,” Dr. Lardon said.
As long as you keep safety in mind, wear a mask and social distance, Dr. Lardon said it’s okay to go out. In fact, he encourages enjoying activities as they're cleared by the county.
“I have people that are so freaked out, they don't go anywhere,” Lardon said. “And that's not really healthy”
Dr. Lardon said even with things opening up, there is still a void because physical touch – hugs, handshakes, fist bumps - things that make us feel close to others, are still taboo. Unfortunately, that's probably not going to change for quite a while.