“Self-isolation – freedom or prison?”

“Self-isolation – freedom or prison?”

How to take care of your emotional state during quarantine and spend time usefully

Author: Maria Tatarenko
Illustrations: Anna Tenenbaum Publication: 03/22/2020

Many Russian universities have switched to distance learning due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus. Some students are worried that the conditions of self-isolation will cause them to develop anxiety and procrastination. Psychology Department student Maria Tatarenko explains why self-isolation negatively affects mood and productivity, and what can be done to avoid this.

Guide No. 1
“How to maintain a stable emotional background during self-isolation”

The conditions of the pandemic and self-isolation lead to the fact that many aspects of our lives, both on a global scale and on a personal level, are called into question. We fear for the health of our loved ones and worry about plans for the future that may not happen. Uncertainty in private and work life is exacerbated by a constant stream of negative news about changes on a global scale: a deep economic crisis, growing numbers of infected people and the prospect of severe consequences of the pandemic in many areas of public life.

In addition, many are afraid of the potential imposition of a strict quarantine, which would lead to isolation, possibly alone. For people living with a partner, family or neighbors, isolation can also be a difficult time, as it deprives them of the necessary personal space and forces them to communicate with the same people every day.

Many male and female students are now experiencing emotional discomfort associated with the adoption of quarantine measures. Rules in dormitories are being tightened and curfews are being introduced. Students working in the service industry may experience loss of earnings. For many, the process of working on research, theses, and term papers becomes more difficult because there is no opportunity to regularly meet with teachers or go to the library.

How to cope with negative emotions during isolation:

1. Planned self-isolation

Think over a plan for self-isolation: where and with whom you would like to spend it. If possible, go out of town with a group of people you feel comfortable with. This will give you the opportunity to be outdoors and have more personal space without being alone.

2. Communication with family and friends

Call your friends, family, and partners more often—video calls are the closest thing to face-to-face communication and help cope with feelings of loneliness. In self-isolation, we tend to keep in touch only with close people, try to diversify your communication: write to those with whom you have not been in contact for a long time.

3. Sex and/or masturbation

If you are self-isolating with a partner who does not have ARVI symptoms, then you can start getting to know each other and exploring new sexual practices. Studying your body can be an equally enjoyable activity. Orgasm reduces anxiety and stress levels, helps fight apathy and irritation. Masturbation is one of the ways to pass the time during quarantine in a pleasant and healthy way.

4. Temporarily giving up gadgets

Uncontrolled scrolling of social networks increases anxiety levels. Limit your time online, including reading news about the coronavirus. Set aside 20-30 minutes a day when you check the news, and devote the rest of the time to self-knowledge, work and relaxation. In order to limit the use of gadgets, you can turn them off and take them to the farthest room or put them away from your workplace. Install apps on your phone that restrict access to social networks and limit screen time. Temporarily remove those applications that take up the most time and are not required for work issues. Now, if you want to pick up your phone, you have to get up, go to another room, turn it on, reinstall the application and log into it.

5. Updating your home space

Work on the space in your home. The results of a study conducted by Sofia Nartova-Bochaver, a professor at the Department of Psychology at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, indicate that a comfortable and pleasant home atmosphere strengthens psychological well-being. Decorate your room or workspace - make a beautiful display with photos, lists of goals or keywords of your research. Try to diversify your living space. Do some spring cleaning.

6. Meditation and yoga

Meditation reduces anxiety and increases concentration. Try to devote 10 minutes every day at a certain time to meditative practices so that meditation becomes a habit, because quarantine is an excellent opportunity to form useful habits. There are many meditation tutorials on YouTube, such as this one .

7. Creativity

Come up with one creative project for yourself during quarantine that is not related to work. It could be something small that you have long wanted to do - draw a picture, learn a song on the guitar, write a story. Dedicate some time to this project regularly: it will distract you from unpleasant thoughts, diversify your leisure time and give you a feeling of small achievement. Don't take on too many projects at once, as this can lead to frustration.

8. Experiment!

Try a contrast shower, write a play, build a wooden model of a ship, learn a poem, or anything else you haven't tried yet. New emotions will help cope with depression.

Application to help cope with stress and anxiety:

Universal Breathing — Pranayama Free

Guide No. 2
“How to stay productive and productive during quarantine”

During quarantine, you can allow yourself to rest and not be overly productive. We need to remember that due to the anxiety caused by the pandemic, our body is under stress, so take care of yourself first, make sure you have the emotional resources to work with. Only if you manage to cope with negative experiences and stabilize your emotional state will you be able to spend your time in quarantine productively.

The main reason for the decline in our productivity - procrastination - can arise as a response to high anxiety and a depressed emotional state provoked by self-isolation. Procrastination can also be exacerbated by feelings of guilt for not getting work done.

During quarantine, the usual way of life changes dramatically, and it becomes difficult to maintain an optimal daily routine for work. In a home environment, due to the large number of distractions, more resources are needed to focus on work.

The loss of productivity is facilitated by the tendency of people in a state of uncertainty to constantly update news and information about the coronavirus, and read different opinions about self-isolation on social networks. At the same time, uncontrolled surfing on the Internet - with its chaotic structure and endless information labyrinth - takes up time, energy and emotional resources and only increases the feeling of uncertainty.

How to deal with procrastination:

1. Lists

Write lists with your to-dos and deadlines. In addition to your to-do list, write a list of your achievements - what you have already managed to do during quarantine. Articulating your achievements will motivate you to continue working.

2. Schedule

Make a schedule for every day: divide your day into work and rest areas. Consider how many hours a day you will devote to work. However, do not make the schedule too rigid: leave free time in the work area. This way, you won't have to worry if you run out of schedule. If you manage to do everything on schedule, this will add to the feeling of productivity and satisfaction with your work.

3. Well-defined tasks

Break large-scale tasks into component items. For example, instead of the task of “writing a term paper”, formulate several small tasks: “drawing up an introduction plan”, “formulating relevance”. This makes the task seem more feasible and easier to take on. In addition, try to formulate what you can do during quarantine and what you need to do, for example, go to the library, and set yourself only achievable goals.

4. Workspace

Give yourself a workspace where no one will distract you - agree with your family or neighbors not to disturb you during working hours. Separate places for rest and work: do not work in bed and change into day clothes - this way you will partially support your usual daily cycle.

5. Orderly nutrition

Reduce your meals to 4-5 times a day. Snacking can be another manifestation of procrastination.

6. Online coworking

Work online - agree with a close friend that you will exchange the work you have done every hour, or make a video call to help each other avoid distractions. Give each other feedback.

7. Self-care

Maintaining psychological well-being, which was discussed in the first part of the article, contributes to high efficiency and performance. Don't forget to rest and take care of yourself!

8. And again digital detox

Turn off notifications on your phone, don’t flood your work chat, install apps on your phone that help fight procrastination.

NB: Nowadays there is a lot of material about how interesting and useful you can spend your time in quarantine. This overwhelming number of links to online resources can also increase anxiety levels. Remember that you don't have time to do everything and try everything. These are just your assistants that you can contact or not use.

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