Online family point: how to organize quarantined days

This week Dr Serra, Psychologist of the Family Point of the Acli of Cagliari, will address the issue of the difficulties you may encounter in spending time during quarantine.

“It's been about a month now and we've got to meet several tips on how to organize our days.

The idea is to take stock of the situation, to take the opportunity to stop and see what we're already doing (and reward us for that) and what can we still do to return a time to days that seem to no longer have it, a time that is, as far as possible, quality and care for us.

We organize our day in order to maintain the routines and create new ones, giving every part of our day a value.

Breakfast time, lunch, dinner, exercise, Labour, leisure and rest: each of these parts must be protected.

It's important to take care of ourselves, our image and our days. Skipping breakfast, replace lunch with a sandwich and spend your days in your pajamas, are aspects that have a negative effect on our physical and psychological health.

For those who have the chance, when we work we choose a space of the house that is separate from the other environments, so that when we finish working we can "detach" to all intents and purposes. For the same reason, it is important to define and maintain limited working hours and then to devote ourselves to other.

And the importance of physical activity, how many times we've heard him repeat? That's because it has benefits on our ability to focus, on’mood and sleep. Helps to release the tension and shifting the #8217;attention from the restage ("Dude goes shopping every day it's not fair") bodily sensations.

Finally, leisure and rest, words that with the hectic life we were accustomed to often rang out far away in our heads. Now is the time, it's time to learn that you can stop, that the world continues to exist even as we devote our time to learning new things, to drink a nice herbal tea before going to bed, maybe with the TV off;

Let's stick to the objective data. Chasing information, some untruthful, has as a risk to increase the sense of anxiety, with the consequent need to do something to lower the level of distress by increasing the likelihood of implementing irrational behaviors (how many bottles of denatured alcohol did you take as soon as you could find them? And how much flour? And how much dough?);

We look for basic information from trusted sources so we have everything we need to know to protect ourselves and avoid being overwhelmed by an "avalanche" of data and numberthe. This means updating yourself once or twice a day on the evolution of the situation and practicing what the National Council of the Order of Psychologists calls "digital diet";

We take care of socialization. It seems strange to say this at a time when social space seems to be one of the main ways to get out of this emergency, and it's also true that you can be close to each other in many ways. In this sense, I have found many initiatives, like that of the City of Tissi, which takes the name "Stories on the balcony" and consists of reading every night from a balcony a fairy tale of goodnight to children (https://www.facebook.com/events/2568731336711412/). We use technology to share our days, our thoughts and emotions with the people with whom we feel comfortable, this can help us to ensure that momentary social isolation does not even turn into psychological isolation. This is even more true for the elderly: accustomed to their own spaces and times, they are catapulted into a context of new rules to be learned and implemented in a very short time;

For those who have children it is important to give them space and time to talk about what they are experiencing and how they are facing it. I think it's critical that they feel free to share with you how they feel: every emotion (Anger, Fear, Sadness) it's important that it has its own space.

Let's remember that when we listen to TV, the radio or we read the newspapers there are also at home: they listen and watch us. They hear words like "it's a war" and see how you react to the news, Let's remember... remember that they don't have our own cognitive and emotional skills to make sense of what they see and hear. So share with them the truth using words and means that are appropriate for the child's age: "simple words, Images, Games, appropriate footage can help children process the situation based on their understanding. (Source: National Council of the Order of Psychologists).

Teenagers are also as busy as all of us to find a balance in this out-of-the-ordinary situation. I think it's important to empower them by helping them identify the most reliable sources of information, encouraging them to perform some tasks useful to family life, leaving him space to do their homework, make some hobbies and to be able to spend time in solitude. I found it very nice for some School Leaders to write to their pupils to tell them that they were aware that they were being asked for a huge sacrifice and that their contribution was indispensable: recognise and understand their emotional state and help them see how active and integral subjects of this community are also.

Finally, although the health emergency is a primary and significant aspect, there's not just the coronavirus: let's also talk about another movie seen, of a book you're reading... and as the days go by, let's remember that, as with any storm, this too will pass.

Some ideas to delve into the topic:

– The stress management pamphlet by the National Council of the Order of Psychologists: (https://www.psy.it/psicologicontrolapaura-una-guida-antistress-per-i-cittadini.html)

– The pamphlet for the management of fear made by the Order of Psychologists of Sardinia: (https://psicosardegna.it/news/vademecum_psicologico_coronavirus_per_i_cittadini–592.Html)
The same booklet has been translated into Sardinian:
(https://psicosardegna.it/news/guida_psicol__gica_a_su_coronavirus_pro_is_tzitadinos–601.Html)

– On the website of the EMDR Association Italy (https://emdr.it/) you'll find numerous tips like a book intended for children (https://emdr.it/index.php/libro-sul-coronavinus-per-i-bambini-fatto-da-ana-gomez/) and one intended for teenagers (https://emdr.it/index.php/libro-sul-coronavinus-per-gli-adolescenti-fatto-da-a-verardo-e-g-lauretti/), both written by experienced figures and made freely accessible to the whole community

– On the Facebook page of the same Association (https://www.facebook.com/AssociazioneEMDRItalia/) you'll find useful articles and videos, advice for the elderly and frail patients (https://www.facebook.com/AssociazioneEMDRItalia/photos/pcb.2573587379548788/2573585756215617/?type=3&theater)

and tips for children and adults (https://www.facebook.com/AssociazioneEMDRItalia/photos/pcb.2573587379548788/2573585742882285/?type=3&theater)”

Dr Nicoletta Serra
Psychologist Psychotherapist Point Family Acli.