Isolation has plagued many people over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and has taken its psychological toll. Even as people are seemingly emerging from the most intense stages of the pandemic, not being around others for the past two years has had negative effects. Dr. Nicholas Covino, a psychologist and the president of William James College, said the pandemic has caused people to lose control of their social environments.“No matter how many times we think we’re going to be in charge of something, whether it’s planning a wedding or a graduation or even going out to dinner, we’ve discovered how little control we have over our environment, and, so, we’re going to have to learn how to live with that,” Covino said.He said people need to reset their expectations when it comes to interacting with others since everyone has “lived with incredible demands” over the past two years.“It starts with making a decision to treat folks with greater kindness. Why? Because they’ve been stressed,” Covino said. “They’ve been exposed to things, some folks, very unimaginable things.”He said people need to work to reestablish connections. If someone is having trouble making those first steps, reaching out for help with mental health is a powerful step.