Coronavirus and quarantine pandemic: how not to panic and stay calm
The situation with quarantine and the coronavirus pandemic causes people to panic, which is not surprising. Caution will not hurt anyone, but stress and nerves can. We continue to tell you how to stay calm and not panic.
Where does stress come from
? In such a situation, keeping yourself in check is not easy. However, it is necessary in order to maintain healthy nerves. Serhiy Konoplytsky, psychologist, candidate of sociological sciences, author of the PSYSK psychological project, told us that quarantine is essentially social isolation, as well as restrictions on normal social behavior.
"People who need to stay at home stay away from their normal daily lives for a period of time and may experience stress. Sources of stress can be: reduction of significant activities (if it is not possible to work online); reduction of social activity (rest with friends, visiting pubs, restaurants, sports clubs, temples); financial stress (if the business or company in which you work suffers losses); closer contact with relatives if you are in quarantine together; and other. All this can affect mental health, " says Konoplytsky , adding that the condition is only getting worse due to the flow of negative information.
Julia Yorsh, a body-oriented psychotherapist, explains that the main characteristics of the nervous system are excitation and inhibition. In order to increase the state of excitement, as a rule, no effort is required. In a metropolis, when you have to raise your voice to make your interlocutor hear you, it happens by itself.
"Moreover, in the current situation, when everything we are used to relying on was not so inviolable, you can keep the process of excitation only by purposefully applying certain methods. Our body is universal and sooner or later the "stopcock" works. This is expressed in the complete absence of critical thinking: "it’s all fiction ...". Or dissociations: "everything doesn’t happen to me ...". Overstimulation of the nervous system, as well as the compensatory functions of the body, unfortunately, do not allow for an objective response, " - says Julia Yorsh.
She added that because of this, the ability to ensure effective functioning for themselves and their loved ones in the current situation may be lost.
During such periods, people can experience a range of feelings: from fear and anxiety, to anger and frustration. But all this can be dealt with.
How to keep calm
Julia Yorsh says that we are all very scared and panicky at first, then protect ourselves from devaluation, or reduce the significance of the situation, losing vigilance.
"So the first thing I would recommend is to stay in touch with your emotions. You have a right to them. All living people are afraid. This is normal. Just tell yourself what’s going on with you and give it a right to be. This will allow the emotions to exhaust themselves faster and get into a resource state. No matter how uncomfortable you feel, allow yourself to look into that feeling, give it a name and allow yourself to feel it, ” says Yorsh.
The psychotherapist adds that you need to continue to use the resource that remains with you under any circumstances - your body. Sports, yoga, breathing practices, home massages, self-massage, hugs.
"The revitalization of our body characterizes the quality of breathing. Ask yourself the question "How do I breathe?" As many times a day as possible. You do not need to breathe in any special way. This question, as a rule, in itself deepens your breathing, and therefore gives you energy to harmonize your condition. Seek professional help. Sometimes, it is enough to simply talk about your condition with a specialist to find resources and support on your own, ”Iorsh advises.
Serhiy Konoplytskyi notes that there are many ways to cope with the situation. He says news consumption should be limited to reliable sources. There are government websites, the WHO website, news agencies, disease control and prevention centers. But social networks and information resources are not the best source of information these days. Particularly obscure are the writings of unknown people on conspiracy theories.
"It is important to receive accurate and timely information, but not to taste all the news in a row, the coverage of the virus in the media can increase feelings of fear and anxiety. It is recommended to combine time spent on news and social networks with other activities not related to quarantine or isolation, such as reading, listening to music or learning a new language ", -adds Konoplitsky.
In addition, the specialist advises to create and follow a daily routine, trying to include regular daily activities such as work, exercise or training, even if they must be performed remotely. It is also recommended to follow a healthy lifestyle and avoid alcohol or drugs as ways to cope with the stresses of isolation and quarantine.
"Stay in touch with others. Your personal contacts may be limited, but there is a phone, messengers, social networks. If you feel sad or worried, communicate, share your emotions, support others. Try not to catastrophize the situation; instead, focus on what you can do and accept what you can’t change. You do not need to constantly think about what is not within your capabilities. If you are experiencing emotional stress, download programs for meditation, awareness, breathing, relaxation and exercise, " explains Konoplytsky.
The psychologist noted that after the quarantine period we will all have to return to the usual reality, to re-form healthy habits, such as visiting a sports club. At the same time, quarantine will allow you to get rid of something unhealthy.
"Quarantine, like this pandemic, needs to be survived. Do your best to make it beautiful and dignified. Unnecessary anxiety is useless, everything passes and so does it, ” Serhiy Konoplytskyi summed up.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Photo Pixabay, Unsplash
Read also: Panic and anxiety: 10 ways of self-help YouControl
Where does stress come from
? In such a situation, keeping yourself in check is not easy. However, it is necessary in order to maintain healthy nerves. Serhiy Konoplytsky, psychologist, candidate of sociological sciences, author of the PSYSK psychological project, told us that quarantine is essentially social isolation, as well as restrictions on normal social behavior.
"People who need to stay at home stay away from their normal daily lives for a period of time and may experience stress. Sources of stress can be: reduction of significant activities (if it is not possible to work online); reduction of social activity (rest with friends, visiting pubs, restaurants, sports clubs, temples); financial stress (if the business or company in which you work suffers losses); closer contact with relatives if you are in quarantine together; and other. All this can affect mental health, " says Konoplytsky , adding that the condition is only getting worse due to the flow of negative information.
Julia Yorsh, a body-oriented psychotherapist, explains that the main characteristics of the nervous system are excitation and inhibition. In order to increase the state of excitement, as a rule, no effort is required. In a metropolis, when you have to raise your voice to make your interlocutor hear you, it happens by itself. "Moreover, in the current situation, when everything we are used to relying on was not so inviolable, you can keep the process of excitation only by purposefully applying certain methods. Our body is universal and sooner or later the "stopcock" works. This is expressed in the complete absence of critical thinking: "it’s all fiction ...". Or dissociations: "everything doesn’t happen to me ...". Overstimulation of the nervous system, as well as the compensatory functions of the body, unfortunately, do not allow for an objective response, " - says Julia Yorsh.
She added that because of this, the ability to ensure effective functioning for themselves and their loved ones in the current situation may be lost.
During such periods, people can experience a range of feelings: from fear and anxiety, to anger and frustration. But all this can be dealt with.
How to keep calm
Julia Yorsh says that we are all very scared and panicky at first, then protect ourselves from devaluation, or reduce the significance of the situation, losing vigilance.
"So the first thing I would recommend is to stay in touch with your emotions. You have a right to them. All living people are afraid. This is normal. Just tell yourself what’s going on with you and give it a right to be. This will allow the emotions to exhaust themselves faster and get into a resource state. No matter how uncomfortable you feel, allow yourself to look into that feeling, give it a name and allow yourself to feel it, ” says Yorsh.
The psychotherapist adds that you need to continue to use the resource that remains with you under any circumstances - your body. Sports, yoga, breathing practices, home massages, self-massage, hugs.
"The revitalization of our body characterizes the quality of breathing. Ask yourself the question "How do I breathe?" As many times a day as possible. You do not need to breathe in any special way. This question, as a rule, in itself deepens your breathing, and therefore gives you energy to harmonize your condition. Seek professional help. Sometimes, it is enough to simply talk about your condition with a specialist to find resources and support on your own, ”Iorsh advises.
Serhiy Konoplytskyi notes that there are many ways to cope with the situation. He says news consumption should be limited to reliable sources. There are government websites, the WHO website, news agencies, disease control and prevention centers. But social networks and information resources are not the best source of information these days. Particularly obscure are the writings of unknown people on conspiracy theories. "It is important to receive accurate and timely information, but not to taste all the news in a row, the coverage of the virus in the media can increase feelings of fear and anxiety. It is recommended to combine time spent on news and social networks with other activities not related to quarantine or isolation, such as reading, listening to music or learning a new language ", -adds Konoplitsky.
In addition, the specialist advises to create and follow a daily routine, trying to include regular daily activities such as work, exercise or training, even if they must be performed remotely. It is also recommended to follow a healthy lifestyle and avoid alcohol or drugs as ways to cope with the stresses of isolation and quarantine.
"Stay in touch with others. Your personal contacts may be limited, but there is a phone, messengers, social networks. If you feel sad or worried, communicate, share your emotions, support others. Try not to catastrophize the situation; instead, focus on what you can do and accept what you can’t change. You do not need to constantly think about what is not within your capabilities. If you are experiencing emotional stress, download programs for meditation, awareness, breathing, relaxation and exercise, " explains Konoplytsky.
The psychologist noted that after the quarantine period we will all have to return to the usual reality, to re-form healthy habits, such as visiting a sports club. At the same time, quarantine will allow you to get rid of something unhealthy.
"Quarantine, like this pandemic, needs to be survived. Do your best to make it beautiful and dignified. Unnecessary anxiety is useless, everything passes and so does it, ” Serhiy Konoplytskyi summed up.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Photo Pixabay, Unsplash
Read also: Panic and anxiety: 10 ways of self-help YouControl