Why Is It Recommended To Follow A Schedule During Quarantine?
The outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic has led the authorities of many countries to ask their inhabitants to confine themselves to their homes to help stop infections.
Given this situation, experts have recommended the establishment of a schedule adapted to the quarantine situation as a psychological method to effectively deal with the situation But what is the explanation behind this recommendation?
The importance of the schedule during coronavirus confinement
This is a preventive measure aimed at reduce the chances of developing a mood disorder in vulnerable patients
Studies indicate that the most prevalent symptoms in people in quarantine are low mood and irritability. Quarantine means being separated from family and friends, losing freedoms and living with uncertainty and boredom. This leads to an inevitable interruption of our daily lives. By reducing our physical and relational context to a minimum, The probability of receiving reinforcing stimuli also decreases, making it difficult for pleasant emotions to appear
In this way, we can remain in an environment where the absence of reinforcement precipitates or maintains a low mood, or even apathy and a reduction in our capacity for enjoyment, all of which are possible symptoms of depression.
On the other hand, Quarantine can mean an alteration in our sleeping and eating rhythms something that has also been linked to mood disorders.
In fact, both context and biological rhythms are at the core of some psychological treatments for depression: Behavioral Activation Therapy and Social and Interpersonal Rhythm Therapy.
Behavioral Activation Therapy considers that the context is a fundamental variable in depressive mood states. According to this therapy, maintaining a level of activity adapted to our circumstances and possibilities would produce changes in our thoughts our humor and the quality of life we perceive.
In any case, it should be noted that it would not be about being busy all day and not thinking, but rather finding those activities that we like, connect us with ourselves and accommodate our interests and personal values.
Social and Interpersonal Rhythm Therapy
Social and Interpersonal Rhythm Therapy is based on the hypothesis that life events, both negative and positive, that entail a marked change in daily routines and biological rhythms can precipitate or maintain depressive states.
Therefore, everything that involves maintaining sleep and eating schedules and exposure to sunlight, added to carrying out activities and daily interaction with at least one person, are considered, from this perspective, measures that can favor a positive state of mind and a level of energy sufficient to adapt to the changes that will occur in the coming days.
In summary, The behaviors we carry out during quarantine would be essential to prevent the possibility of presenting depressive symptoms as the days of confinement and isolation go by.
In particular, it is considered important to maintain self-care at the level of sleep, nutrition and exposure to sunlight, and to schedule a routine of activities that includes tasks linked to obligations (work, school…) but also activities for which one would normally We don’t have time and what we have always wanted to do. Including everything that favors introspection, with a goal of self-knowledge and personal growth, can help give meaning to these days and project ourselves into the future, asking ourselves what changes we want to make in our lives when all this is over.
