Surviving Isolation

How to get through lockdown without going up the wall

Tips from people living in space stations and polar stations – people who just CAN’T go outside.

Social distancing may now be obligatory in the street and supermarkets, but it’s nigh on impossible at home, especially for those of us living in apartments, units or open-plan homes. 


Which is pretty much all of us.  Around 80% of New Zealand homes built since 2000 have combined dining/living areas. These free-flowing layouts are designed to bring people together but in these times of lockdown, when families are all stuck in the same place, the lack of walls is driving people up the wall.


And it’s causing greater stress, conflict and, in the worst cases, domestic violence. 


So what can we do to make our stay-at-home lives more bearable for ourselves and the people closest to us?

For answers, we turned to the people who already know full well what it’s like to spend a lot of time in isolation – Scott Kelly, the astronaut who holds the record for living a year on the International Space Station, and people who have wintered in polar research stations. These people not only have to endure months of being cooped up with other people in confined spaces, but they have little opportunity to go outside, if at all. 



We also studied the work of psychologists and other experts who have studied the effects of isolation.


Here’s a summary of what we found out:

1. Create separate living zones

You need personal space and privacy during this time but because it’s not healthy to spend too much time in your bedroom, how do you find personal space in an open plan living area?


Simply rearrange the furniture, rugs and plants to create different zones. For example, there may be a zone for watching TV, a zone for gaming, a zone for dining, a zone for cooking and a zone for relaxing.


Think more about comfort and ambience than style. 

2. Don’t work at the dining table

If you’re working from home but don’t have a home office, find somewhere – anywhere – that separates you from the other functions of your home while you’re working. The dining table is the obvious place but there’s nothing more frustrating having people doing non-work things around you when you’re trying to focus.


Time to get a bit creative. Do you have a spare room, laundry, garage or other quiet space you could use temporarily? 

 3. Structure your day

New Zealand psychologist Nigel Latta recommends that we shouldn’t worry during lockdown about sleeping in, letting the kids have screentime all day or not changing out of your pyjamas. Other experts disagree.


“It is important to maintain a structure to your day,” says psychologist Sarita Robinson. “Having a set schedule for meal times and a set bedtime can help you to stay on track. Planning out activities and setting goals can also help keep you motivated and stop you feeling down.”
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4. Reach out and keep in touch

A Founding Fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, Dr Robinson says that during lockdown, many people go into their shells as a form of self-protection and may turn to less-than-positive coping strategies such as drinking more alcohol.


“You should stay in contact with your social network,” she says. “This can be as simple as phoning a friend for a chat, sending someone an email or joining in with a discussion via social media. Reaching out to a friend has been shown to be better for your mental health than having a glass or two of wine in a bid to block out your worries.”

5.  Declutter your home

Clutter in the home has been shown in studies to cause extra stress among occupants, even in normal times. During lockdown, it can lead to conflict. Home organisation expert Vicky Silverthorn of You Need A Vicky, who is currently self-isolating due to showing symptoms of coronavirus, says now is the perfect time to declutter your home.


“For obvious reasons, it isn’t the right time to be taking items to the tip or the charity shop, but you can still declutter and store items you don’t want to keep in a safe place, ready to be removed from your home at a later date.”

6. Boost your immune system

“One of the things I missed most while living in space was being able to go outside and experience nature,” says Scott Kelly. 


Astronauts and polar crews can suffer from lower immunity and mental health when they are stuck inside, so experts recommend that even as winter approaches, you take every opportunity to go outside. But exercising indoors can also help. Psychologists believe that even listening to upbeat music or watching a movie can boost your health and immune function.


Scott Kelly again: “Take time for fun activities. I met up with crewmates for movie nights, complete with snacks, and binge-watched all of Game of Thrones — twice.”

7. Get ready for open-up

Open-up is the term we’ve come up with for the opposite of lockdown. It’s the time when everything can gradually go back to normal, whatever normal is. We have no way of knowing when that time will be, but we know it will come. And now’s the time to start planning and preparing for it.


That’s why sportspeople are continuing their training from home. It’s why business people are working on their strategies for re-entering the market. And it’s why we at Pzazz Building have created a new service called Pzazz Design, which enables you to share your dreams of a new bathroom, kitchen, basement or home extension with us and have the designs and plans prepared for you without leaving the safety of your home. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT PZAZZ DESIGN

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