How Not To Go Crazy In Self-isolation

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

The feed in social networks predicts a quick death for everyone, neighbors buy buckwheat, the child is hanging around at home, and mom is eager to go to the country? Congratulations, you are living in the era of the coronavirus. The news flow in the media and social networks, as usual, does not differ in quality. Friends were divided into two camps, where supporters fight to the death with nihilists from. Whom to listen to? Whom to believe? Where to run?

If you are lucky not to get stuck at the airport and not get into hospital quarantine, let's think together how to protect yourself and your loved ones as much as possible, but not go crazy in isolation.

The main reason for panic is a feeling of helplessness and fear of doing something wrong: not being in time, missing, hesitating. Hence the desire to "control at least something", which often takes on bizarre forms such as bulk purchases of toilet paper. Well, and, of course, a feeling of guilt - suddenly something terrible will happen, and you have not prevented it in any way? But let's be honest - in order to do something, you have to have the facts. Today the majority do not have the knowledge to predict the further development of the situation. All that remains is to follow the instructions: wash your hands more often, avoid public places and post memes on social networks so that it is not so scary.

The only sure way to deal with panic is reliable information and a clear plan of action. So first of all, start filtering what you read. There is an official WHO website with reliable data, blogs of virologists who are on the front line, personal pages of people living in a quarantine zone in Europe. Unsubscribe from those who sow panic or, conversely, demonstrate contempt for generally accepted rules and security measures. These people need a cheap hype or a place to drain the negativity. Let them get their moment of glory, but not at the cost of your nervous system.

If your loved ones are at risk - the elderly, children with weakened immunity, people with chronic diseases - you can take care of their safety in advance by ordering the delivery of the necessary medicines and purchasing basic products (milk, eggs, butter, meat, flour and cereals can be bought for future use). Non-urgent matters will wait. And most urgent issues today can be resolved fairly easily online.

If you have to keep working, commuting to the office, and going out regularly, your concern is understandable. As long as there is no state of emergency and curfews in the country, it is enough to observe basic security measures: wear a mask in public, wash your hands, use antibacterial gel, limit shopping and reduce social circle. These are all temporary measures, most of which are common sense.

If your occupation allows you to work remotely, this may be a smart decision. On the one hand, you are at home, children are supervised, the risk of infection is minimal. On the other hand, you are still in the thick of things and make a living - fortunately, modern technologies allow it.

If you have been planning to do self-education or change jobs for a long time, this is your chance to study the market and occupy your niche. Books that were never reached, films and TV shows waiting in line, abandoned foreign languages, important household chores, unassembled cabinets and a summer cottage garden - they will all be happy to brighten up your quarantine routine.

Plus, being forced to stay at home can be a great chance to spend time with your family: take a walk in the woods (until it's prohibited) or at the dacha, do homework together (there are a lot of excellent educational online resources), draw, do some painting, or just make a house out of pillows and blankets where you can have fun chatting by the light of a flashlight.

If children are not yours, quarantine is a great opportunity to spend time with your loved one. You can cook and dine together by candlelight, take a bath, talk heart to heart - everything that you dreamed of for so long, but fell asleep before you could proceed to fulfillment.

Sports, yoga, plank, breathing exercises - all this is possible even with temporary self-isolation. This is a great chance to lose weight, try a new diet or face mask. Just calmly drink tea and, in the end, get some sleep, and not hustle at rush hour in the subway, sniffing other people's armpits.

In an unstable time, when there is no readily available reliable information, and the information flow is filled with conflicting opinions, it is easy to panic. But this will not lead to anything good. Such a reaction is destructive - it paralyzes the mind and forces us to perform ill-considered actions, the consequences of which can be sad. The best thing is to take a deep breath, take time out and listen to your own experience and common sense. The winner is not the one who is not afraid, but the one who retains the ability to think clearly.