If you’re on our site checking out how to schedule your rapid COVID test, you might be dreading the next two weeks. If you have a positive result, you will be in quarantine at least that long, perhaps longer if others in your household have a positive result after you. So how are you going to get through a 14-plus day quarantine without losing your mind or taking it out on your family? Here are a few tips from mental health experts:
Don’t be afraid to laugh.
Yes, it’s scary to have a positive COVID test, especially if you are one of the more at-risk patients. Even if you know someone who is currently hospitalized due to the pandemic, you shouldn’t be afraid to laugh. Comedy and laughter are very healthy ways to relieve stress and keep your mental health from tanking.
Don’t completely self-isolate.
When you can’t physically be with your friends and family, it can be easy to shut down and isolate completely. That’s the worst thing you can do. Answer the phone when your friends call to check on you and let family come over for a visit through the screen door. Isolation is a breeding ground for depression.
Take a news break.
Yes, it is important to know what is going on in our country and the world as the pandemic unfolds day by day, but it is also important to maintain your own sanity and take care of yourself and your household. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from news media for a few days while you are feeling your worst. When you’re feeling better, the world will still be there.
Be kind to yourself.
It sounds like a cliche that is overused these days, but it really is the truth. A lot of people are hard on themselves when they think they aren’t performing well enough. Remember that you are ill and even if you are recovering, you shouldn’t rush to be at top form. Give yourself time to heal and recuperate.
Actually take time off work.
When you’re working from home, it’s easy to think you should continue working even though you are sick. Don’t! When you are ill, you need to rest. Even if you are sitting while doing it, enacting those work habits increases stress level, anxiety level, fatigue, and lack of focus. The illness will contribute to a lack of focus and a drop in performance, which will, in turn, add more stress. You can’t heal and recover under stress.
Need more advice on how to get through the quarantine? Talk to our medical professionals when you get your walk-in COVID test for more tips and resources.
