Tips for managing anxiety during quarantine

The confinement imposed by the Government as a containment measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 is a situation never before experienced in Spain. The change from living with stress and many commitments to being confined indefinitely will affect us all, as it prevents us from carrying out our daily activities. Contrary to what may be believed, the elderly or children will not be the only ones affected, but everyone in one way or another will suffer from this confinement.

This quarantine situation is completely unusual for all or most families. Therefore, it requires a series of psychological guidelines that minimize the alteration of our emotions, favoring a simple and pleasant coexistence during the isolation. The uncertainty associated with these situations, as with fear, favors the appearance of anxiety. In this sense, the specialist in Psychiatry, Dr. Sergio Arques, recalls the importance of prevention as a fundamental key to be able to control anxiety in this complex period.

How can anxiety manifest itself during confinement?

  • Nervousness, tension or agitation.
  • Panic, sensation of imminent danger or catastrophe.
  • Acceleration of the heart rate or palpitations.
  • Choking sensation, rapid breathing and chest tightness.
  • Tremors, sweating and chills.
  • Feeling of weakness or tiredness, as well as dizziness.
  • Concentration problems or disconnection from current reality.
  • Disorders related to sleep and rest.
  • Gastrointestinal disturbances.

Recommended guidelines

Dr. Arques recommends “to establish some guidelines at home in order to keep our life organized, maintaining leisure activities, in addition to the obligations to favor that mental disconnection we need”. He also gives us the following advice:

  • Establishing routines, delimiting and structuring time through the design of a schedule.
  • Avoid personal neglect. It is necessary to get dressed and groomed even if you do not go out.
  • Make the most of your time and tidy up your closet, do DIY, read a book, etc.
  • Have your own private space, where you can do and think about your own things, while respecting the space of others.
  • Exercise empathy to make living together easier. It is important to communicate with family and friends to better cope with social isolation.
  • Exercise at home.
  • Measured use of new technologies, avoiding overinformation and excessive exposure to blue light emitted by these devices.
Read Now 👉  Bipolar disorder: a serious mental disorder

Which exercises are the most recommended?

Any exercise that allows us to exercise a little to combat sedentary lifestyles and that is adapted to the conditions of each person. In addition, this will provoke the segregation of endorphins, substances secreted by the body when exercising, which favor the increase of our well-being, helping us to be more positive and motivated and to rest better.

How to manage anxiety?

In case all the above mentioned aspects are not enough, Dr. Arques recommends relaxation and mindfulness techniques, as well as the use of psychotropic drugs in people who show severe symptoms. To overcome the crisis caused by the coronavirus, it is essential to understand the situation and to know that it will end as it has begun. Always see the light at the end of the tunnel.