Self-care during self-isolation: tips and products to boost your mood during quarantine – The National

Self-care during self-isolation: tips and products to boost your mood during quarantine – The National

In the year 2022, quarantining remains a recurrent concept. As we adapt to our new normal — and as Covid-19 cases in the UAE continue to hover at 1,500 or so a day — there are plenty of reasons we would have or need to stay indoors, sometimes for days at a stretch.

Several studies and professionals have noted that isolating can have an adverse effect on our mental health. As Eleonore Brocq, clinical psychologist at Medcare Camali Mental Health Clinic puts it: "Individuals are more likely to report exhaustion, detachment from others, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, poor concentration and indecisiveness, which leads to deteriorating work performance” when quarantining.

Varsha Vasant, an architect in Dubai who contracted Covid-19 twice over the past two years, recommends yoga and exercise during the isolation period. “It helps stretch the muscles out as it recovers from joint pain. I’ve found it also helps my mental health,” she says.