Cope with stress during quarantine

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Pandemics are stressful for the public. Suspicion and scare about the new disease can cause strong emotions in adults and children’s. Public health actions such as social distancing, isolation; are necessary to reduce spread of disease but this actions can make people feel lonely and can cause stress and anxiety among people. [1] However, quarantining yourself at home is necessary to prevent the spread of infectious disease. But it doesn’t mean that enduring with the disruption in daily routine is easy. Take care of your mental health is important, even your time in quarantine is comparatively pithy in the large scheme of things.
Quarantine effect mental health, how?
The isolation implanted by quarantine frequently leaves people feeling that they have no control over situation. People feel that they are cut off from the rest of the world and can’t perform their everyday duties. As workers opt to telecommute, educational institute closed, and other social gathering cancelled. The prospect of being restricted to your home because of quarantine can be horrifying. According to the report of The American Physiological Association social isolation can cause number of health associated risks. Feeling isolated can lead to poor sleep, lower immunity, depressive symptoms, cardiovascular problems, and impaired executive function. Impaired executive function skill can cause difficulty to focus, remember information, manage emotions, & follow directions.
Possible mental health effect during quarantine:
A 2019 review in The Lancet analyzed the result of past studies to get better idea of how COVID-19 impact to those who are quarantined. The review found that physiological distress is common in both during and after period of quarantine. People commonly experienced with fear, numbness, stress, low mood, insomnia, confusion, sadness, anger, irritability, depressive symptoms, emotional disturbance, and emotional exhaustion.
Factors that influence coping:
Everyone endure with stress in a different way. Some factors that might play a role:
  1. ·         Current mental health
  2. ·         Your personality
  3. ·         How you deal with stress
  4. ·         How long you are in quarantine
Things you can do to cope:
Researchers suggest several steps that might be helpful to mitigate negative mental health effect of quarantine.


  • Establish routine:
One of the most difficult aspects of quarantine is the disruption in the normal everyday routine. This can leave you feeling directionless as you are trying to figure out to fill all the hours of the day.
If you are working from home, it can be helpful to maintain your time structure with you normal working day, however, it could be a challenging. Left without the structure of a normal school day child can be feel just as out-of-sorts as elders.
If you are trying to keep kids entertained while stuck in house, or even trying to keep working amidst it all, it is important to find out a routine that works for you. Plan such activities that keep everyone busy. Should create a daily routine and make your own routine and breakup the day in order to stave off monotony.


  • Combat frustration and boredom:
Some of the distress of being quarantined is due to boredom. Find the ways to stay occupied and try to maintain your routine as you can. Find the new ways to fill your time whether it is in your own closet or try new hobbies. It gives something to you to work towards and something to look forward every day. So make a plan, list the thing you would like to do and get busy yourself being quarantined.     


  • Be active as possible: 
Physical inactivity even for a very short period of time have an impact on your health, both physically and mentally. In an investigation it is found that even just two weeks of inactivity can lead to reduction in muscles mass and metabolic effects.
Luckily, there are many at home work-out ideas that help you keep moving while you are stuck in the home. Your quarantine may be short, but staying active may be helpful to feel you better and maintain your fitness level. It is also a great way to combat with boredom that come from being stuck inside home day after day.


  • Communicate:
Staying in the contact with other people not only minimizing the sense of isolation but it also helpful to staves off boredom. Stay in touch with family and friends. Join a discussion board or a support group for people who are in quarantine, if possible. Talking to others who are suffering from the same condition can give a sense of community and empowerment. [2]


  • Avoid to believe on inadequate information:
Level of stress can be increase by hearing conflicting information from different public and health sectors. Studies found that people who observed a lack of transparency or conflicting information led to more frustration and confusion.
Try to find a reliable source of health care information from credentialed public health agencies and health care professionals. [3]




References:
  1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
  2. https://www.verywellmind.com/protect-your-mental-health-during-quarantine-4799766
  3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/urban-survival/202003/new-research-stress-quarantine-and-5-ways-feel-better 


By: Aisha Mehak




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