DOH shares suggestions to ward off 'quarantine fatigue'

It is important to remain socially connected with loved ones to ward off feelings of "quarantine fatigue" during this time of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) said. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that some of the signs of quarantine fatigue include feelings of anxiety and being irritable.

“Meron po silang social withdrawal, meron pong mga loss of motivation because of reduced productivity, ito ang mga nakikita natin ngayong mga senyales ,” said Vergeire. 

Vergeire said that the public should have “coping mechanisms” to fight these kinds of feelings.

“Unang-una please stay connected. Meron hong mga tao kasi they are withdrawing from everybody because of this quarantine status that we have. Stay connected. Hindi naman po kailangang lumabas para maging connected . You can use social media to do that, always call your friends, your loved ones,” she said. 

“Kailangan din po magkaroon tayo ng ibang pinagkalilibangan. Kung dati lumalabas tayo para manood ng sine, para pumunta sa parke, marami ho tayong puwedeng gawin sa loob ng bahay   to keep us busy and to keep us entertained,” she added. 

The Health official also reminded the public to accept that there is now a “new normal” way of living. 

“Kailangan tanggapin din sa kanilang kalooban na talagang we will not go back to the way it used to be and we should transition to this new normal,” she said. 

“Hopefully everybody gets to imbibe that behavior na papunta na ho tayo doon sa   new normal and this will be part of our new normal,” she added. 

Vergeire also encouraged the public to seek professional help if they are having mental health issues. 

“We have established this hotline dito po sa National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) kung saan may hinire tayo na mga professionals so that we can cater dito sa mga ganitong pagkakataon na kailangan may makausap ang ating kababayan ,” she said. 

“Hindi lang po pangangatawan ang gusto natin alagaan kung hindi pati ang mental health ,” she added. 

If you are in need of mental health support, you may call the NCMH Crisis Hotline at (0917) 899-8727 or 7-989-8727 or 1553.