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How can we stay mentally healthy in quarantine?
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Taking a break from the news is critical for self-care during the quarantine.

If consuming news is getting people down, switch it off. If one feels like he/she can't - put news alerts on one's phone, to get the headlines, rather than the in-depth details on the virus' spread. Thus, sometimes it is necessary to take a break from the news for self-care

The Argument

Avoid obsessing over endless Coronavirus coverage. Freeing up your day from work or social obligations gives you plenty of time to obsess, and if people have a tendency to consult Google for every itch and sneeze, one may be over-researching the pandemic as well. Choosing only certain credible websites (who.int or cdc.gov is a good start) for a limited amount of time each day (perhaps two chunks of 30 minutes each) will be in one's best interest during this time. Try and maintain some semblance of structure from the pre-quarantine days. For those individuals with children, sticking to a routine might be easier; however as you work from home, it could be tempting to fall into a more lethargic lifestyle, which could lead to negative thinking. Wake up and go to bed around the same time, eat meals, shower, adapt your exercise regimen, and get out of your PJ’s. Do laundry on Sundays as usual. Not only will sticking to your normal routine keep you active and less likely to spiral, but it will also be easier to readjust to the outside world when it’s time to get back to work. This will help you survive spiraling negative thoughts about this uncertain time, instead of reading too much anxious news.

Counter arguments

There’s also a sizable minority who are finding themselves cannot get avoid of the great amount of consumption of news for professional reasons. Journalists, communications professionals, government officials, doctors, scientists, and disinfectant manufacturers are among those having to stay on top of daily comments, trends, and data. For many, this is happening while they are working from home and managing blurred boundaries between their work and private lives. Therapist John-Paul Davies says a number of his current clients (who he now sees digitally) are those who “suddenly have to be on top of the latest developments” or are spending a lot of time speaking to those who’ve been hit hardest by the coronavirus. “Hearing those stories, you're bound to be affected by them, you know, particularly if you care about other people, and [for] a lot of journalists that’s the reason for doing it. They're interested in other people's stories.”[1]

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200505-coronavirus-how-much-news-is-too-much
This page was last edited on Friday, 10 Jul 2020 at 19:20 UTC

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