Are you feeling stressed because you have to stay at home in quarantine or isolation? The new social distancing measures are extremely necessary to prevent the rapid spread of the coronavirus and try to limit the number of infections.
Being in quarantine or isolation can affect people’s moods and increase stress and it is common to feel lonely, boredom, helpless, and depressed from being in this situation.
Effects of facing a pandemic
During the health emergency that is going through the whole world due to Covid-19 together with the isolation (in some regions mandatory), we can see changes in the Mental Health of the general population. Below some of these effects:
|Effects of Covid-19 on Mental Health|
|Change of habits and schedules of activities||Concern|
The coronavirus outbreak has caused many people to stay home, which can be a bit stressful. However, staying focused on the positives can give you the right attitude and energy to weather the storm. This way you can embrace positivism and practice self-care.
Today, many factors contribute to anxiety and we must consider how to prevent it. Let’s not forget about emotions, specifically those that could arise in a context like the current one, the SARS-CoV-2.
Sometimes anxiety arises because we do not know what we feel, what happens to us, or we take certain emotions as something negative. However, emotions are necessary, useful, universal, we all feel them and inevitably inform us that something good or bad is happening. Motivates behavior, allows change, communication, and the search for new solutions.
Despite everything, many times we focus on what we feel, on the discomfort, and not on thinking about what it is telling us and how to deal with it.
How do we handle these emotions?
Identify the emotion: how, when, what, where, with whom or under what circumstances, and why it is felt.
Have emotional relief methods such as crying, screaming, hitting a pillow, dancing, writing a letter, singing, asking for help, talking to someone, whatever you think makes you feel more emotionally liberated. This could reduce consequences such as uncontrolled impulses, difficulty sleeping, nervous allergies, etc.
Some tips to cope with the pandemic
If you find yourself in quarantine or isolation for some time, there are things you can do to take care of your emotional well-being and reduce stress.
- Maintain comprehensive wellness. Watch your diet, drink enough water, maintain regular sleep patterns, and do physical exercise. Even in tight spaces, there are many exercises you can do with little or no equipment. This will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Maintain communication with your loved ones at home, by email, by phone, or video call. To find calm you can read books and magazines, this will help you stay distracted and pass the time without much regret. You can practice relaxation exercises like breathing, mindfulness, and meditation.
- Avoid paying attention to unfounded rumors and information from unverified sources. Try to inform yourself through reliable sources, this will help you measure the risk and take precautions or reasonable measures. It is important to follow the instructions of the local health authorities. For more reliable information, you can search the websites of the WHO or PAHO and the health authority of your country.
- Limit the time you and your family spend watching or listening to news that you find disturbing to reduce worry. For more information, see the website of the World Health Organization.
Youth and the Coronavirus Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has stressed us all and it is especially difficult for adolescents to feel depressed or angry – those can be signs that they need more support.
Parents set the tone for the home, so they should try to stay positive, keep the lines of communication open, and speak with the family pediatrician about any concerns, according to advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Finally, it is important to create an alliance between heart and mind. Understand that what we feel is not different from the rational process in our mind, we just have to learn to think of what we get from these feelings and use it to generate an action.
Get the most out of this quarantine. Work on you and your peace of mind. Book an appointment at a Miracle Physical Therapy and Massage Center if you need relaxation. Do not forget to protect your mental health and stay informed about Covid-19 in official, reliable, and objective sources. Much depends on us. We defeat this virus together.