In light of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s announcement on April 3 of a nationwide month long quarantine, the majority of people in Singapore are all at home. The majority of the SAS community have been at home for several weeks, adjusting to working online. For many students, online learning has been the dream before the coronavirus: no more waking up at the crack of dawn to get on the bus or wearing the same uniform everyday. Although these are some perks to being at home, there are severe long-term impacts to being at home for an extended period of time like many SAS students are currently doing.
What are the Effects of Being Quarantined?
“I like that [the government is] taking precautions to protect us from getting sick but I miss my friends.”
anonymous SAS Student
Although social media can help mitigate the effects of being in quarantine, nothing will be as good as being outside of your house and interacting with people who aren’t your parents or siblings. A study conducted by The Lancet on people that were quarantined during the SARS epidemic (similar to coronavirus) observed effects from the quarantine such as confusion, anger, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, sometimes lasting up to three years after quarantine. Possibly exhibiting these kinds of behaviors can lead to strains on relationships with the people that you are living with. Your other family members are most likely feeling the same things as you which can lead to irritability and cause stress to your relationships.
Being confined to one place day-and-night can be exhausting even though you are barely moving around. In order to avoid developing these symptoms and behaviors there are ways you can try to get your mind off of what is happening and you can focus on improving your living situation along with the rest of the world during this difficult time.
How do I remain social in a time of social distancing?
Almost 70 percent of SAS students who participated in a poll stated that they missed their friends and being able to go outside. One student said, “I like that [the government is] taking precautions to protect us from getting sick but I miss my friends.” Although citizens in Singapore are strongly discouraged to go outside and prohibited from meeting non-immediate family members, there are still ways you can interact with your friends.
Social media is the greatest tool for you and your friends to interact on. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat allow you to easily connect with your friends and family members. You can text and video chat whoever you want with just a few taps, however, that is all you can do. If you’re bored and tired of just talking to your friends, you can download a few extensions, apps, and access websites for you and your friends to have fun with. Here are some games and extensions that have become very popular in the past few months that allow people to engage with their friends while being at home.
Although interactions with other people who aren’t living with you is very important for your well-being, it is also important to maintain your normal lifestyle as much as possible. By being at home 24/7, many people have forgotten to do certain activities that were normally mindless before this coronavirus pandemic. For example, simple exercise like walking is now limited because everyone is trapped inside their houses everyday.
In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle while in the confines of your house, you can try watching workout videos and follow along with them or search up things to do if you’re bored. It is important to keep yourself busy when you’re at home all day because it can motivate you
It may feel as though this quarantine may be never-ending, however, the precautions that have been taken by Singapore along with other countries all over the world are necessary. Countries that had started quarantine early on when the coronavirus was first starting to spread have hardly any cases. This may be the case for Singapore very soon but while we are stuck at home, make sure to take care of yourself!
