drsurvival

The psychology of survival

Coronavirus

On 1st January 2020 Sarita was quoted in the Metro newspaper –

“What are you most concerned by?

‘A flu pandemic…’ “

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/01/how-to-survive-the-apocalypse-according-to-british-preppers-11971714/

30/09/2020

Sarita appeared on BBC radio WM to talk about the ongoing psychological effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

24/08/2020

Sarita’s advice on returning to work after furlough has been quoted on the TalkTalk website here and by the Belfast Telegraph here .

28/07/2020

Sarita was quoted in the Metro UK newspaper about social guilt during the coronavirus pandemic here .

28/05/2020

Please help my research by doing the following questionnaire on wellbeing during the pandemic – here

22/05/2020

Sarita was quoted in the Guardian UK newspaper about human behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic here .

15/05/2020

Sarita was quoted in the Independent UK newspaper about anxiety during the coronavirus epidemic here.

05/05/2020

Sarita was quoted in an article for Oprah magazine about loneliness during self-isolation.

 

22/04/2020

Sarita was quoted in an article for Elemental magazine – https://elemental.medium.com/what-survival-experts-say-about-quarantine-baking.

18/04/2020

Sarita was quoted several times in an article for the Guardian newspaper which is available at  https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/18/campus-lockdown-how-to-cope-alone-in-university-halls .

6th April 2020

Sarita’s article for theconversation.com on how to avoid tiredness during the coronavirus lockdown was published here .

It has been read over 500,000 times, and republished in full on 70 international websites so far, including: Vancouver Star, Beijing Bulletin, Adelaide Now, Israel Herald, Philippine Times, Paris Guardian, Cambodian Times, North Korea Times, Nigeria Sun, UAE News, Calcutta News, Barbados News. It has also been translated into Spanish and Indonesian for further distribution.

7th April 2020

Top 5 tips for reducing fatigue during Covid-19 Lockdown

  1. Keep a reflective journal to keep track of your adaptation to living during this global pandemic. You can chart your progress and see how your fatigue improves as you adjust to your new routines.
  2. Have a set structure to your day. Structure can stop us drifting into feelings of apathy and keep levels of motivation up.
  3. Do some exercise to improve your sleep quality. Break the cycle of sleeping badly, which leads to feelings of being tired, by exercising.
  4. Plan activities, especially social activities online. Activities can help to reduce anxiety and break up the boredom.
  5. Set up your jamjar bucket-list so you have things to look forward to. Having goals and thinking about what you are going to do after the Covid-19 crisis is over is a way to keep your energy up.

24 March 2020

The next few weeks in the UK are going to be a challenge. Staying at home does not mean that you are going to get loads of work done or become an expert in that hobby you have always meant to take up. Let those thoughts go now. You need to give yourself time and mental space to adjust. Adjustment to a new situation/environment comes in phases. The first phase lasts a week. By Friday you will be wondering how this is all going to work, you may feel low and you might be tearful. In the survival world this is a normal adaptation stage. Please don’t worry too much but be reassured that this will pass for most people and next week you will feel better.

Here are my top tips: –

1) Routine and structure are key. You should draw up a timetable and stick to it. Don’t let things slide. Get dressed in a morning, shower, exercise, take set mealtimes and go to bed at a reasonable hour.

2) Lower your standards. You will be mentally tired as you adapt to a new way of life. If the cleaning does not get done or you are not providing the best home education experience for your kids forgive yourself. More screen time for a few weeks is not going to be an issue. A stressed-out parent is more of a concern.

3) Social support from friends and family is critical. It is important to pick up the phone and chat to people or use video conferencing to stay in touch. Even if you can’t physically meet up with people you can still share worries and anxieties.

4) If you are living with others, work out now how you are going to manage conflict. You will have arguments so decide now how you are going to deal with them.

5) Do not undervalue the benefits of exercise, sleeping (naps are good) and eating well. All these things have a positive impact on your mental health (as well as your physical health).

Above all #stayathome and be kind to yourself and to others.