While quarantine is the most effective way of preventing the virus from spreading, quarantining can get difficult and challenging for many. No one is aware of when the quarantine will end. Till then, you’ll have to do your best in taking care of your physical and mental health. Quarantine means living in social isolation and distancing ourselves from social places and gatherings completely.
Hence, it is not surprising how the quarantine may take a toll over a person’s body, mind, and soul. You may feel that you’ll remain unaffected throughout the quarantine, but mental health issues like depression and anxiety are quite likely and common in most individuals.
Here’s how the quarantine may affect your mental or psychological health:
- Excessive worrying about your health or the health of your loved ones
- Excessive use or abuse of drugs and alcohol
- Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
- Changing eating and sleeping patterns
- Worsening of chronic diseases/health problems
- Symptoms of depression, loneliness, anxiety
There are many ways to cope with stress during quarantine. While most people are trying to
make the best use of this time, you can do a lot more for a healthy mind and body too. Alongside building some skills, you can utilize this time to know your personality, take care of
yourself/others/the community, spend time with your family, and work towards reducing stress and anxiety levels at the same time.
Knowing your Personality
Everyone is required to self-isolate, and avoid any form of contact with people. Not every person can manage restricted movements with the same ease and comfort as the rest. Research has shown that it is important to know what type of personality we have. This is because our personality defines our actions and responses to the situation. The Big Five Personality traits, i.e. Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, are responsible for most individual actions. Knowing your personality can help you understand how effectively you can handle and deal with the quarantine. You can take a personality test online to find out more about your traits and attributes so that you know how to deal with the stress, challenges, and anxiety of quarantining.
Take enough breaks in between activities
Despite you having a standard routine for the day, it is important to break the monotony every once in a while. During the quarantine, you should take regular breaks from working and exercising in a day. Most people have been working from home since quarantining, which furthers shows the importance of taking short breaks between our day’s activities. If you have started reading during this period, you can take a break and water your plants or clean your wardrobe, and get back to reading again. Keep a mix of activities in your daily routine as doing the same thing each day can get depressing and frustrating.
Restrict social media use
Social media is a powerful tool that we use to communicate with friends and family. However,
excessive use of social media is likely to impact your mental health in more ways than one. Spending too much time on social media can get you overthinking about the virus and pandemic, and you may begin worrying a lot more than needed. Social media and news channels are also flooded with news stories, latest updates, and information on the virus. While it is good to keep yourself updated, don’t let too many negative news get into your head and mind.
Take care of your body
Your body or physical health is the key to your mental health. You can meditate regularly, go yoga, or do breathing exercises daily to take care of your body. Exercising regularly can help you maintain your body’s health while following a healthy diet to keep your mind and body fit. You need to maintain good physical health as the mind is related to the body. Have balanced meals, a light diet, and exercise to focus on physical well-being during the quarantine.
Last but not least, make sure that you take some time off to relax and rejuvenate. Spend some along time while you meditate or do your yoga. Do not forget to stay connected with friends and family because you will need a lot of support from you and others to get through the challenging time of quarantine.
