Here is how to stay mentally alert during social isolation

Muscat: Although social distancing and staying at home is required during these times to avoid the spread of COVID-19, psychologists in Oman have spoken about the impact this has on our mental wellbeing, and how we can overcome these effects.
“Typical reactions during an infectious disease outbreak can include fear and worry about your own safety and the safety of a loved one or friend, uncertainty about health outcomes, and concern about whether one is able to effectively care for children or others in their care,” said Reinilda Dernison, a counselling psychologist at Al Harub Medical Center. “It is normal to face uncertainty, anger and frustration about how long you need to remain at home, and uncertainty about what is going to happen.
She added: “It is also completely natural to have feelings of isolation, loneliness, sadness or boredom, as well as fear over loss of income, and guilt over not being able to perform normal work or parenting duties. There might also be uncertainty about finances, travelling home and changes at work, and changes in sleep or eating patterns.”
Nutaila Al Kharusi, managing director for Al Harub, added: “Our world is changing rapidly at the moment. With the current health situation, many of our normal routines and daily activities are changing. Naturally this can be unsettling, and we can find that the things we usually did to look after our well-being have become difficult. In addition, given some of the news coverage, it would be hard not to worry about what it all means for yourself, and for those you love.”
Providing solutions on how to deal with the mental effects of physical isolation and social distancing, Sara Hassan, counselling psychologist, Canadian Health Centre said, “it is very important that you continue to stick to and maintain a routine. The World Health Organization has advised us to not follow social isolation, but instead, physical isolation.
“Therefore, don’t miss out on speaking to others,” she advised. “There are enough online communication services through which we can interact with others. Of course, it is no substitute for physical interaction, but we are very fortunate to have these tools. Do some exercises every day, take up a hobby – something that ignites your passion – the most important thing is to keep busy.”
With people in Oman currently advised to stay at home to avoid the spread of COVID-19, some of them shared their experiences of what it was like to avoid going out.
“In my family, there are about eight people, including my children, my relatives, my husband and his parents, so there are a lot of people to take care of,” said an Omani citizen. “It can be really hard to handle, because I cannot take the children outside, and have to find ways of entertaining them at home. My husband continues to work, although his hours are reduced, and he is the primary earner in the house, so I cannot ask him to shoulder this as well.”
An Indian expat who recently ended his period of home quarantine said staying at home became extremely boring at the end.
“I used to look out the window and become a little envious of the people who were allowed to walk about freely,” he admitted. “That, however, was not my main concern...I was afraid of what would happen if I were to test positive for coronavirus, because the symptoms do take 14 days to appear. I live alone here, so there is no immediate family to take care of me.
“Every time I sneezed or coughed, I would become afraid, because I was not sure if I was doing this because of the environment around me, or because I had finally caught the symptoms of COVID-19,” he added. “Staying at home got really boring, but it was needed. I used to spend my time watching movies, catching up on sleep, reading the papers, and other things to keep busy, but by the end, I had had enough of the four walls of my house.”