The most important precaution in the effective fight against the new coronavirus, namely the COVID-19 epidemic, is that we all stay at home. Since the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person by droplets, staying at home allows us to protect ourselves and our loved ones by keeping a social distance between us and people. However, this measure, which protects our health, has also created a psychological problem as it interrupts the daily routine of many of us. Maybe staying at home had a holiday effect in the beginning, but we started to feel the difficulty of maintaining it for a long time. It seems that we will continue to stay at home for an indefinite period of time. If we cannot manage the stay-at-home process correctly, this can cause depression to develop in addition to our coronavirus anxiety.
Increased anxiety can trigger depression
Feeling anxious in the face of the coronavirus threat is a natural emotional response, and this emotion pushes us to take the necessary measures to protect ourselves. However, in some people, anxiety may increase more than necessary. The person whose anxiety has increased and increased too much perceives extreme uncertainty about whether he or his relatives will catch the coronavirus and whether he can cope with the consequences if he is infected and feels helpless. Increased anxiety can trigger depression when it lasts for a long time. On the other hand, people who believe that they or their relatives will definitely be infected with the coronavirus and think that they cannot cope with the consequences if this happens, feel hopeless and hopelessness causes depression.
Staying at home for a long time can trigger depression
Staying indoors for a long time increases the risk of depression. Staying at home can trigger depression in two ways: 1) staying at home for a long time disrupts the usual eating-sleeping-moving-care routine in our daily life and causes us to become increasingly withdrawn, 2) staying at home for a long time deprives us of activities that are good for us in our daily life. Disruption of our daily routines, detachment from activities that are good for us, and withdrawal from people results in feeling depressed and depression.
Steps to prevent or get out of depression
Some steps you can take in your daily life will play an important role in preventing depression. Although various life events trigger depression, your behavior in the face of these events maintains depression. The main goal of the steps you will take is to create a new life routine for you and to structure your days with new activities in line with your life goals.
- Sleep regularly . During the holidays, people’s sleep patterns are often disturbed. They go to bed late and wake up late. This impairs sleep quality and prevents rest. Make sure to sleep in a dark and quiet room before midnight. Set a time for yourself to wake up in the morning and wake up at the same time every day to get out of bed, no matter what time you go to bed at night . Remember, everyone’s sleep time is different to wake up rested. Based on your past experience, set a period of 6-9 hours to sleep. Plan your sleeping and waking times by taking this time into account.
- Eat a balanced diet . The way we eat has a significant impact on both our physical and psychological resilience. Consume 3 main meals and 2 snacks a day . Make sure that what you eat is healthy food . If there is a type of nutrition that you want to try lately that will not force you physically or psychologically, start it. For lots of water . Avoid alcohol or be careful not to increase the amount you take.
- Do sports regularly . We know the health benefits of physical exercise. Did you know that regular movement and exercise can lead to improvement in depression? Even if you stay at home, try to move during the day . Attend classes broadcast live on social media. The World Health Organization recommends at least half an hour of activity each day. Aim to exercise every other day, if not every day.
- Do not neglect your self-care . When we stay at home on weekends, we can take a break from taking a shower, combing hair, shaving, putting on make-up, and sitting down to relax. Although taking a break from these is relaxing during the holiday, neglecting self-care for a long time causes us to feel depressed. Take care to maintain your daily self-care routine during this period . For this, you do not need to prepare as if you are going out, you just do not have to let yourself go.
- Make a daily “ to-do list”. Preparing a to-do list of what you need to do every day in order to plan your daily life will get you off the depression route. Anyone working, not working or studying can prepare such a list by considering work, school and home conditions. Write on the list the household chores you need to complete, your daily tasks if you work or study, the correspondence and interviews you need to do.
- Identify new activities in line with your life goals . A happy life is possible by living a meaningful life. A person who leads a meaningful life constantly improves himself in line with the goals he has adopted for his life. For this, he spares time for activities that improve his knowledge, skills and abilities. Of course, this does not mean that he does not spare time for activities that he will enjoy. Then plan new activities in your life in areas that you will both enjoy and improve you.. Think about the things that you have wanted to do for years but that you could not start by putting off and could not start because of lack of time. There may be countless activities that you can specify in many areas such as hobbies, creative fields, lifelong learning, personal development, social activities, charity activities. Think about what you can start at home, choose a goal, determine the steps to be taken to reach this goal, take action. Remember, the internet will give you a great opportunity to reach your goals.
- Plan your every day the day before and follow the plan. Thinking about your to-do list and the steps of new activities that you have determined in line with your life goals, clearly determine when, what, how long and how you will do during the day. If you are working and your institution has not determined it, determine your working hours and breaks. If you are not working, plan by thinking about the jobs you have listed. Don’t wait for your heart to take a step. Remember, the request comes as you make it. When you have completed each item on the list, cross it out or put a tick next to it to indicate that you have done it . Crossing out or marking next to it will have a rewarding effect and it will feel good to complete the list.
- Spend planned and quality time with your loved ones . Social support is among the most important factors that determine our resilience to stress. If you have a spouse, children, elders, and roommates with whom you live at home during this period, plan to have a good time with them. Chat, cook together, sit at the table together, play games, watch something. Plan video calls and meetings with your relatives outside the home. Get your drinks and chat in front of the screen. Do not get lost by talking about coronavirus in your conversations. Talk about your usual topics, catch up. Remember, social distancing does not require social disconnection.
- Give yourself rewards for the steps you take . Rewarded behavior lasts. Therefore, give yourself rewards when you take the difficult steps to continue the life routine you have just created. This award does not have to be a grand prize; There may be rewards such as eating something you want, entering social media, calling someone, watching TV series / movies. Remember, after taking the difficult step, when you consistently give yourself these rewards, it will become easier for you to continue that step over time.
- Manage your coronavirus anxiety. If you have increased anxiety about the coronavirus, take a look at my suggestions in my previous blog post. End your behavior to eliminate anxiety. Remember that trying to eliminate anxiety will feed it, opening yourself up to it will increase your tolerance and endurance.