How To Deal With Isolation During Quarantine

The COVID 19 crisis has left us all in a bubble of sorts. We have to take self-precautions through various measures like quarantining at home and self-isolation. All these steps play an important role to prevent the spread of this disease. Although it is the need of the hour this has created quite a disruption in our daily lives. I, for instance, was initially unable to cope with the fact that I could not get out. It became difficult to maintain my normal routine while staying at home. This was also taking a toll on my mental health. I was beginning to wonder if I will ever be able to survive this period of self-isolation and social distancing.

As the outbreak has made it compulsory for us to engage in practices such as social distancing, we need to embrace it. To help in flattening the curve, we all need to do this no matter what. So to contain the spread of the virus and keep the infection rates low, we all have decided to give up our liberty to go out. For those of us who are or may potentially be exposed to those with coronavirus, quarantine is important. So I understand that this is an important practice for mine and everyone else’s health. But I still need to keep myself sane to survive this time in quarantine.

Does Quarantine Affect Mental Health?

A team of Indian psychologists recently conducted a study to understand the health risks associated with social isolation. They looked at past events to understand the psychological impact quarantines can have. The interviewees were for some time 10 days asked not to leave homes, not have any visitors, wear face masks, avoid sharing personal items, and some other measures. Research indicated the quarantined individuals experienced immediate and short-term effects psychologically.

The surveyed individuals reported feeling isolated, feeling cut off and feelings of isolation and anxiety. The study listed the below main health risks reported:

· Depression

· Difficult to focus

· Impaired executive function

· Low immunity

· Manage your emotions

· Poor cardiovascular health

· Poor sleep

If I talk about my experience, being in quarantine had taken a toll on my mental health as it made me stressed about the uncertainty due to the global outbreak. Three key elements of my mental health were initially affected:

· Feeling of loss of autonomy – The isolation made me feel that I had no control over the situation and I felt cut off from the rest of the world

· Lack of Competency – Isolation made me feel depressed and I felt a lack of judgment and focus which impaired my ability to function

· Losing connectedness – Quarantine also led to a physical disconnect from my loved ones that affect my ability to feel secure and protected

This feeling of loneliness affected my physical and mental health.

Possible Health Effects of Isolation

A review in an Indian Magazine studied the cumulative results of past studies about a sample of people who were quarantined. It was found that psychological distress was common during and also after quarantine. People experience sadness, fear, anger, insomnia, confusion, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder among other symptoms.

There could be different reactions to isolation but I had experienced the reactions that included loneliness, fear sadness, anxiety, and stress. Once I started to acknowledge that these were some of my issues, I started to read and talk to people and took the following steps to protect my mental health and well-being while I was still in quarantine:

· Establishing A Routine – Long periods of quarantine made me directionless and I had no idea how to fill out the whole day. As I work from home, I realized I should structure my time like a regular workday. It was initially challenging as I had family members. But ultimately making my routine helped to break the monotony.

· Being Active Helps – The quarantining was not letting me be as physically active as earlier and that was affecting relatively short periods of physical health physically and mentally. This inactivity was also a reason for the low moods that I had. This made me get up and start working out. I decided to improve my fitness levels. I also figured yah working out took away my sense of boredom. I looked up some great home workout ideas and started working out every day.

· Never To Be Bored – One of the biggest distress of quarantine for me was the boredom and resulting in frustration. So I decided that I need to find ways to stay occupied. That is when I started having a routine. I would keep finding projects and new activities. If I had nothing to do, I would organize my closet. This gave me a sense of purpose and competency. I started working towards small goals and I had something to look forward to. So make a checklist and ticking off what is worked for me.

· Communicating Is The Key – If there is one thing that I will take away from this quarantine then it is that staying in touch with people helps. It not only helped me fight boredom but also minimized my sense of isolation. So I made it a point to stay in touch with friends and family through the phone. I also started interacting with people on social media. I also started interacting with like-minded people through the discussion board. This interaction with people who were going through similar situations gave me a sense of empowerment and community.

· Not Getting Overwhelmed With Information – In times like these, too much information is not necessarily a good thing. It overwhelms people and we tend to be more anxious with the immense information that we get. Although it is vital to stay informed and updated, still too much information creates a sense of panic. It is also important to understand if we are being fed inaccurate or fake news. I try to feel accurate and authentic sources and avoid negative information. Trusted sources provide helpful information so I follow portals of the World Health Organization (WHO) and my local health departments.

· Remembering The Bigger Purpose Helps – It is important to remember why we are doing this. This helped me ward off my frustration as whenever I felt cooped up, I think about the reasons why I am quarantining myself. For those of us who might have been exposed to coronavirus, we would do an altruistic action by avoiding others. I remember that my small action will avoid the spreading of illness to others.

All the above measures like being busy, keeping in touch with others and maintaining a structure are some key ways that helped me survive this quarantine.

But we should remember we all cope with stress in our ways. There are a wide variety of reasons that make everyone’s coping mechanism different. Below factors play a role in how we cope:

· Duration of quarantine

· Our ability to Deal With Stress

· Our Mental Health

· Our personality

While some of us might be able to survive this quarantine easily, others might find it more challenging. But I am sure the above measures will make this time easier for us.