Have you been feeling sluggish since quarantine started? Feeling like your weeks are merging together while you’re stuck in the monotony of a day-to-day routine? If so, you aren’t alone! Feelings of fear, isolation, and uncertainty, as well as drastic changes to daily schedules, have led to spikes in depression, anxiety, and PTSD in the United States. While this is concerning, there are, thankfully, ways to combat these feelings.
First, let’s look into how aspects of quarantine link to the mental illnesses mentioned above. Symptoms of anxiety include excessive and persistent worry, fatigue, irritability, impaired concentration, and feelings of powerlessness. So it’s no surprise that cases of anxiety have increased, given the widespread concern over when/if things will go back to normal, if you or your loved ones will contract the virus, how to financially survive during this recession, etc. All of these concerns are scary on their own, but become even more daunting as the media sensationalizes them and constantly reminds us of them.
Symptoms of depression include low mood, loss of interest, sleep disturbance, fatigue, agitation, and difficulty concentrating. Quarantine has a big impact on depression because it ignites feelings of isolation and loneliness. Humans are, by nature, social animals. We rely heavily on social support from friends and family in order to regulate our mood and wellbeing. In fact, feelings of loneliness typically lead to an increase in cortisol (a stress hormone) in your body, which has also been linked to an increased likelihood of developing depression.
Lastly, symptoms of PTSD include negative beliefs, flashbacks, hypervigilance, negative mood, insomnia, and anger/irritability. Threats to one’s physical or emotional safety often lead to trauma. Therefore, PTSD has been linked to people who have had, or whose loved ones have had, direct exposure to COVID-19.
So great, I’ve told you all the negative impacts of COVID. Where do we go from here? Now that we know how and why quarantine affects our mental health, we are more equipped to cope with these changes. The common factor between all of these mental illnesses is the presence of a stressor. Thus, the best way to combat the negative impacts of quarantine is to balance your stress levels.
Some science-backed ways to decrease stress include maintaining a balanced diet, practicing mindfulness, engaging in physical activity, reaching out to supportive friends and family, and ensuring quality sleep. Activities that promote these include practicing yoga (I recommend Yoga with Adriene), setting up weekly zoom calls with friends, and finding an online workout program that you enjoy (personally, I love Chloe Ting).
Additionally, it’s important that you maintain somewhat of a normal schedule. To do this, I recommend creating a Google Calendar to schedule meals, sleep/wake times, workouts, and school work.
Lastly, I strongly believe that everyone can benefit from therapy, and now is the perfect time to start! Setting up an online appointment has never been easier, and it gives you one hour every week to focus solely on you and how you want your life to improve — regardless of if you struggle from a mental illness. If you are unsure where to begin this journey, Psychology Today is a great place to start.
While quarantine has posed several mental health challenges, I personally know and believe that each and every one of you has the strength to get through it. Better yet, we can get through it together. Keep your head up, keep trying, and lean on your loved ones during this scary and uncertain time. We got this.