Recommendations on How to Face the COVID-19 Lockdown
Home confinement during the COVID-19 lockdown and the security measures adopted in this situation have caught us all off guard. We’ve been plunged, in a very short amount of time, into an alarming and disconcerting situation.
We’ve seen firsthand how uncertainty and concern for the future can easily overwhelm us. As well as the fact that we have to spend so many hours at home, we also have to shape a routine with more limitations than usual.
Mental health is a vital part of our lives that has to be addressed in this present situation. You need to identify your own needs. Don’t hesitate to ask for expert help if you need it. Neither should you neglect those who were already suffering before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Here are some important recommendations to help you come to terms with the situation you find yourself in.
Focus on the positive
It’s essential to focus on the reasons why these protective measures are being taken. Rules like home confinement, only going out for essential needs, and carrying out safety procedures exist for a purpose. Don’t just focus on the fact that you aren’t allowed to leave your house. Remember that we’re all doing this for the common good, which is the most important factor at this time.
The health ministers in several countries, as well as other health and emergency centers, assure us that the goal is to reduce the number of people infected in order to avoid the health services and hospitals collapsing under the pressure.
That’s why we all have to be responsible in order to be able to escape from this situation as soon as possible and minimize the damage.
Organize your daily routine
Organize your activities and plan your routines to make the time more enjoyable. What are some of the activities you’d like to do that you can’t do in your usual routine? Include several different tasks in your daily routine so that you don’t have to spend many hours doing the same thing.
Creating a schedule with all the tasks you’d like to do on a daily basis is one way of overcoming the COVID-19 lockdown. By doing this, you’ll help to keep the momentum going in order to carry all these tasks and you’ll commit yourself to starting them.
Change rooms, and don’t spend the day in the same place. For example, read in the living room, study in the kitchen, etc.
Condition the place where you’re going to spend the most time. Change the decoration, move the furniture a little. Make yourself comfortable and make it yours as much as possible.
Keep working if possible and, if you can’t, take on new responsibilities as much as possible. Not all responsibilities are related to work, meaning you can also create them yourself. Use your imagination.
Interrupt rest and meal times as little as possible. In many cases, being at home can cause compulsive eating or excessive sleeping.
Stay in touch with your loved ones and those around you. Communicate with them, use video calls, and send messages through your social networks.
It’s a good time to strengthen the bonds with family and friends and to learn new things about them.
Stay active
Keeping the mind and body active is one way of coping with the COVID-19 lockdown, as this is very positive for your well-being.
There are a variety of resources to entertain you at home: reading, exercising, listening to music, watching a TV series or a movie, and drawing or painting to develop your creativity.
Spending hours sitting on the couch causes apathy and laziness. As an article in Psychology Today states, laziness transforms a simple activity into something completely arduous. We’ll never achieve personal well-being, as we hardly get anything done.
Experts say that being lazy creates unrest and dullness. This is just one more burden to have to cope with in the current situation.
Being at home doesn’t mean staying in your pajamas all day, without showering or combing your hair. Hygiene habits are also fundamental at this time.
Avoid infoxication during the COVID-19 lockdown
Only talking about COVID-19 can often just increase your levels of distress and anxiety. You’re already aware of the current situation and, of course, it’s important to be informed. However, that doesn’t mean you should be talking about it all day long.
Likewise, this could lead to constant thoughts about the future, which you should also avoid. For example, “How will I survive if this confinement extends?”, “What will happen in 15 days?”, or “Will I be able to continue my work once this is over?”
It’s time to live in the here and now. Thinking about what might happen in the future will only make things worse when you’re trying to cope with home confinement. These fears may never happen, which is why it’s useless to stress yourself out thinking about them.
Take time for yourself
It’s essential to set apart some time in your day and week to look after yourself. Take a relaxing bath, put on creams, and put on make-up if that’s what you usually do. Get some fresh air and take a look at the outside world.
Identify and write down the emotions this new situation produces in you. Writing them down will help you manage them.
In conclusion, it’s crucial to comply with all the rules and measures adopted as a result of COVID-19. Let’s help each other overcome this situation!