HAPPINESS RESEARCHER GIVES TIPS FOR STAYING SANE AMID PANDEMIC

Isolation and limited activities during coronavirus lockdowns have widely been shown to leave a long-term psychological impact on many people, and experts fear this will only be amplified in colder, darker times of year, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Scientists have also pointed to forced isolation causing a new kind of epidemic as those in solitude face growing mental health problems. Several studies have also pointed to a large number of people having a poorer state of mental health during the pandemic, while depression helplines have noted a rise in callers. "By being deprived of our freedom of action, we feel a loss of control," says happiness researcher Michaela Brohm-Badry from the University of Trier. For her, two factors are essential for making it through quarantine or a lockdown with your wits about you: self-determination and self-care. 

"Self-determination means taking back control," she says. "Do something that makes you feel free and something that you can do well. This could be renovating a room, doing puzzles or even making music." She adds: "Everything that is passive consumption, where we cannot create anything ourselves, is not good for the psyche in the long run. This also includes constantly following the news." 

Our relationships with others are likewise crucial in getting through this crisis. "It is important to create a very loving and warm-hearted proximity to those people we meet - in person or digitally." Apart from self-determination, self-care in times of crisis is also important. Good food and personal hygiene will help you feel happier says Brohm-Badry, who also suggests heading out in the the fields and forests, even if it's raining.