Tips for good mental health during this quarantine

Quarantine can generate internal disharmony and lead us to feel incoherence between what we would like to do and what we are required to do. We may feel a huge need to go out and continue doing the usual activities in our daily lives, but we also know that the situation dictates that we be at home.

This tension, or cognitive dissonance, can make us rethink our beliefs at our own convenience, telling us, for example, things like: “I do not belong to the vulnerable population and therefore, even if I have to stay at home, in any case I go out” or “They are exaggerating.” "the situation and it is unlikely that I will win the Coronavirus lottery by going outside for a while."

What is certain is that quarantine at this time is no longer an option. It is not even an obligation by decree. Fundamentally, it is an act of health, civility and personal and collective responsibility. As an example of a good reason to do so, beyond complying with government decrees, I share this comment that I saw on the networks: “It is hard to stop going out and even harder to close a business for 3 or 5 weeks. But much harder is closing the coffin of a loved one for life.”

Therefore, quarantine being a duty and an indisputable and inevitable measure of personal and collective health, many questions arise, of which I want to highlight the following: How can we manage it well in favor of our physical and mental health and our comprehensive well-being?

Both you and I can be overwhelmed by uncertainty or fear; We may even feel bewildered and angry at the wrong and misguided behavior of several of our fellow citizens who do not stay at home, despite what is required.

In this sense, it is good to keep in mind that it is natural that a situation like this generates uncertainty and fear in us as a consequence of its universality, its novelty, its impact and the risk it entails. It would be abnormal if it weren't like that! It is also natural that the situation generates misinformation and misinterpretations, harmful to everyone.

Now, feeling uncertainty, fear, confusion or anger makes us human; and being so also allows us to intelligently choose measures and behaviors to appropriately manage the situation, individually and collectively, according to the circumstances.

The following are considerations and recommendations for good management of the situation and quarantine:

-Keep in mind that your thoughts impact your reality in an extraordinary way and, therefore, your well-being. If you feed bad thoughts, they can become real monsters. Eat only from reliable and balanced sources, and please don't overwhelm! Seek the minimum sufficient level of information, at specific times of the day and not at all hours, whether on TV, radio, internet or social networks, including family chat. The rest of the time keep your mind busy with useful and healthy things for you and yours.

-It is essential to follow the prevention and health care recommendations, in which there is detailed and seriously treated information on aspects related to the prevention and detection of coronavirus and the management of patients.

-Focus on what you can do and don't get worn out or overwhelmed thinking about what is out of your control. This situation is handled with everyone doing their part. It is fundamentally up to you to take care of yourself, take care of your loved ones and follow the guidelines of the authorities. Anxiety usually arises from thinking about everything that could happen, without it actually happening, and, furthermore, giving relevance to situations that are not under our control.

-The fact that quarantine is an unwanted and even unexpected situation for many, it is your decision to take advantage of it by focusing on what you can do. Keep this in mind: if you manage your quarantine well, you don't have to despair or get bored. On the contrary, you have a unique and probably unrepeatable opportunity to carry out activities that represent opportunities for simple distraction or leisure, and others that may represent opportunities for maintenance, learning, improvement and/or relationships, which under normal circumstances you would hardly be able to do.

Entertainment, relaxation or leisure

Put together a puzzle of your choice, which you can then frame in a picture for the home or office.
Play board games, adding, if you want, challenges associated with washing, cleaning the house or cooking.
Create a homemade mini-nursery tailored to the available space.
Color mandalas.
Play and share video games, even those that involve physical movement.
Prepare magic tricks to surprise your children, friends, colleagues or clients.
Meditate, practice yoga, pilates or any other technique that suits you and your circumstances.
Read novels, poetry, fiction, or biographies of people you admire.
Recover hobbies such as painting, drawing, sculpture, design, photography, sewing or embroidery.
Obviously, watch series or movies.

Maintenance

Maintain hydration, eat well and healthily, and sleep soundly if that gives you pleasure or a space for recovery.
Maintain physical activity in the way you prefer.
Clean and disinfect surfaces in your home.
Download files from your cell phone to your computer to free up memory space.
Update and perfect social media profiles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tinder or any other.
Create, organize or update your music lists in whatever application you use. For example, on Spotify you can do it in a shared way for some occasion: an upcoming party, a bohemian gathering of friends, a celebration.
Clean, organize and/or repair, taking the opportunity to give away things you no longer use: closets, nightstands, shelves, cupboards, furniture, jewelry boxes, real estate or home.
Organize the library.

Improvement - Learning

Write a diary of what you feel, live and experience with this new situation. It not only serves as a psychological purgative, but also as a source of reflection and action in the future.
Write and send a letter to your future self.
Learn and practice cooking recipes. It could be the occasion of the first dessert, the first pasta.
Take online courses or review tutorials on YouTube, from how to groom your beard or design graphics, to creating a solar charger for your cell phone.
Create a chronologically sequenced visual, written, or both document that reflects your own life or biography. You may be surprised by how much you can remember, retrieve, and learn.
Learn or perfect a language.
Practice or learn dances of your choice.
Design or direct your own webinar or virtual channel.
Research the two or three tourist destinations that you have always wanted to visit. Identify data of interest, places to visit, activities to do and, why not, plan a future vacation.
Write articles, create your own virtual site to share with others about what you know and are passionate about.
Watch documentaries with topics of interest to you: great civilizations, mechanics, aliens, pets.