Expensive advice for those sitting in homes, so that the days of Corona will pass

With billions of people around the world trying to suddenly adjust to social divergence measures as part of the fight to slow the spread of the new Corona virus (Covid 19), specialists familiar with isolation measures, from astronauts to submarine crews, provide advice to make the coming weeks go smoothly at home.

- Set a schedule

Scott Kelly, a retired astronaut from NASA, who has spent about a year on the International Space Station, said the way of thinking about these times is crucial. "People need to set correct expectations. We do not know when all this will end," he added. "This could be long, so I say to myself: I live in a similar way to living in space for a year. I need to set a schedule, sleep and wake up at a regular time." He continued that exercising is the key to physical and mental rest during the period of compulsory quarantine.

- Find the mission

For Vincent Larnody-Eiffel, the former commander of a nuclear submarine, for things to go smoothly during the quarantine period, a "personal mission" must be identified and dived into.

And similar to the situation on the submarine, “We are stuck in our apartments, and we share a mission to protect others and medical workers and successfully get out of this ordeal.” According to Eiffel, who added that it is important to develop a daily routine and adhere to it “You cannot surrender .. You need to do something through this time". For the submarine captain and his colleagues, this included installing models and planting plants under artificial light during their spare time.

"It is also important for every person to have their own space," he said. In a submarine the spaces are narrow. The same applies to small apartments. ”

Try new things

Sailors Isabelle Otisier was the first woman to have succeeded in a world tour alone, and had to spend a great time alone. But she said she never felt alone "because I chose to be alone."

It recommends that those caught up in the houses use the time "to try new things, read and listen to all kinds of music, write diaries, take pictures and draw". Above all, it is important that they not get carried over into the next days.

The sailors recounted that when she was at sea facing an indefinite period of time alone she learned: "The first thing is not to count the days."

Low morale

Cyprien Verso, an astronomer at the University of Bremen in Germany, spent more than a year in a small room with five other volunteers to simulate the conditions of life on Mars for future missions to the Red Planet. "It is normal for your morale and productivity to decrease," Verso said. This is not a sign of weakness. Do not add guilt to your problems. ”

When he was "quarantined" to do the experiment, he was not allowed to go out, and he was prevented from communicating with the outside world. "Even if not all of us deal in the same way with home quarantine, we can adopt good practices that make these periods more manageable." It is advised to choose one or more activities and do a lot of exercise.

- Stay in touch

In 2009, astronaut Frank de Veen became the first European to lead the International Space Station. Finn said it is necessary to maintain human communication even if it is only electronic: "The means of communication exist, and you must make the effort and use them."

This Belgian, who is currently quarantined on the ground, is keen to make a video call with his elderly mother at the same time every day: “This allows me to see her.”