Psychological effects of quarantine and how to mitigate them.

With the whole world facing lockdown under COVID-19, what does this tell us about its psychological impact and how people can be supported through it.

It is my 40th day under lockdown in Ukraine. You might have thought I had abandoned the blog. , but the fact is that the quarantine had taken a tore on me.

We have to understand humans are social animals, so it is easier to lose one’s mind while sitting at home and away from the entire world.

The fear of an outbreak coupled with a #quarantine could get under the skin and make you feel lonely and depressed.

Different psychological effects come into play during this time and it might seem wrong to talk about staying positive in such a period. However staying hopeful, positive, and happy during this period is what will eventually overcome this tragic scenario.

I surveyed my Instagram page, where I managed to ask my followers what had changed psychologically during their period in quarantine. Below are some of the responses I got.

• Loss of self-confidence

• Increased anxiety and paranoia

• Aggression and agitation towards random things

• Confusion and stigma

• A feeling of being stagnant, nothing is progressing in life

• Depression

• Insomnia

• Emotional imbalance

• Post-traumatic stress

• Sadness and fear

• Alcohol dependency

It is important to understand that everyone deals with a situation differently. Some people may be better to deal with quarantine for a variety of reasons including resilience and their overall personality.

Factors that might play a role include:

• Your current mental health

• How you deal with stress

• Your personality (extrovert or introvert)

• How long you have been in quarantine

What might help to mitigate the negative mental health effects of quarantine

• Establish a routine: the disruption of your day to day life can be one of the most difficult aspects of quarantine. Structuring your time nicely to do certain tasks from home helps to avoid any feelings of being stagnant or useless.

• Stay active: Periods of inactivity can affect you mentally and physically, so having periods of exercise is very useful. Home workouts with family or friends online can leave you with a smile on your face.

• Tackle frustration boredom: Keeping yourself occupied is important, so try maintaining your routines as much as you can.

• Communicate: stay in touch with family and friends through video calls or texts. Read the news updates to stay informed with all the new information on COVID-19. This might give you a sense of hope.

Remember why you are doing this.

When you are feeling frustrated or stressed up, it is helpful to think about the reasons why you are quarantining yourself. If you have been potentially exposed to COVID-19, avoiding others is an important action. You minimize the chance that you might spread the illness to other people, even if you are currently asymptomatic.

The CDC recommends that anyone with a preexisting mental health condition should continue their existing treatment.