While the confinement has been going on for almost three weeks, and the government has already warned that it could be extended, many are worried about the impact of the confinement on their morale and even their health. mental. However, at the microphone of Europe 1, Pr Michel Lejoyeux, head of the psychiatry service at Bichat hospital, assures him: "Confinement will not create epidemics of depression and anxiety." And Monday, in Without appointment , the specialist delivered some advice to best support this unprecedented period.
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Having fun
Staying at home for a long time can be "scary", recognizes Michel Lejoyeux, who specifies that "the duration of confinement increases the psychological weight". Also, he says, it's important to be distracted. "Anything that decreases boredom and increases attention, the fact of creating appointments, will decrease the psychic weight of confinement," says the psychiatrist, who also calls not to put too much pressure on these distractions . "In these complicated moments, we are not going to be too ambitious in terms of the most complicated readings." And to conclude: "Let us remember that everything that annoys us and gives us dates makes us feel good."
Understand the meaning of this confinement
At the microphone of Mélanie Gomez, Michel Lejoyeux believes that it may be easier to bear confinement by remembering that it is motivated by a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. "If you find yourself confined to your bed because you slipped on your soap soaking out of the bathroom, you have a feeling of nonsense," he says. However, "when one has the impression of participating in a war, all that gives meaning".
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"The more it is collective, the more it makes sense, the better we will resist it," he insists. In the case of current confinement, "we do not have the guilt and the feeling of an individual absurdity, whereas we often have it in our traumas. It is precious on the psychological level", he says again . "The meaning we give to events changes the way we perceive them," he concludes.
Continue to communicate and be selfless
Pr Michel Lejoyeux also recalls the importance of maintaining a link with the outside world, by communicating with those close to you. "All the software that allows us to get in touch has a real effect," he confirms.
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In addition, researchers from King's College London also insisted on the benefits of altruism, says the guest from Europe 1. "When you are interested in others, when you make a gesture, you applaud the caregivers at our windows, we wonder if a neighbor needs us, we develop this altruism and everything that is turned towards the other is therapeutic. "
Tolerate not being perfect
Recalling the importance, in psychology, of the notions of "anti-perfectionism" and "tolerance for the unexpected", Michel Lejoyeux advises to "move from the notion of objective to that of value". "At the moment, it is difficult to have professional, financial, etc. projects, but it is the right time to rediscover the values of one's life and to know what really matters to us."
Create images of our future projects
Finally, can this confinement period not be an opportunity to organize well and make a list of what we will do once this confinement is lifted? "I don't really like lists," reacts Michel Lejoyeux, "I'm afraid they will become overwhelming". Rather than a list, he advises, "we can have a picture of our future in our heads, as if we were imagining our next vacation". And to conclude: "Our ability to visualize helps us to escape."