We are going through difficult times as a society in order to protect ourselves from the coronavirus pandemic. It is impossible not to be anxious in these troubled times, not only in our country but all over the world. However, each person reacts differently to stress.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naz Berfu Akbaş, Head of the Department of Mental Health and Diseases at Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine and a specialist in Mental Health and Diseases at Yeditepe University Hospitals, says that this is a situation that is influenced by our personality traits, the social support system we are in, the family and sociocultural environment we grew up in, our previous experiences and traumas, and the social and economic conditions of the society we live in.

Stating that being concerned about all these events to a certain level is necessary for us to take preventive measures, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş points out that raising this to the level of panic will negatively affect both our own mental health and our relatives. Stating that restricting ourselves to social distancing for as long as possible should not mean "we will not socialize", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naz Berfu Akbaş made suggestions to turn the days we stay at home into an opportunity.

7 Ways to Survive Coronavirus Stress 

• Call Your Loved Ones, Stay in Touch

Stating that this period when we are at home is a good opportunity for us to call our loved ones, our relatives whom we have wanted to call for a long time but could not find the time, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş said, "If possible, taking advantage of video calls will allow us to take care of our self-care and will take us out of the situation of not taking care of ourselves, which is a trap of staying at home. Since our elders need the most support during this period, calling them and asking how they are, finding out if they have any needs, and if they have any needs, helping them in this regard makes us feel useful and is good for our mental health."

• Limit Your Social Media Use

Reminding that there is a lot of information pollution on social media, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş recommends using social media at certain times of the day. In this way, she states that we can prevent false information that can spread very quickly from unnecessarily demoralizing us and explains the following:

"Instead, if we can create activities to do with our family at home, I think we can be good examples for our children. In times of boredom, we can easily go to the internet, especially these days, if we lose control as parents, in a while, everyone in the house will have either a cell phone or a tablet in their hands, isolated and bored in a corner, trying to play by themselves."

• Clean Your Cabinets

Most of the time, we complain about the work we cannot complete, saying “the housework never ends". Explaining that we can turn these days we spend at home into an opportunity in this sense, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş said, "Here is an opportunity for all of us. Closets to be organized, things to be thrown away, etc... It may be difficult to start when you fall into inertia, but push yourself, because when you start, you will not understand how time passes."

• Change the Home Decoration Together

One of the activities that all members of the family can do on an island is to change the decoration of the house or the location of the furniture. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş says, "The change does not necessarily have to be more beautiful, just different. While doing this, take the opinion of your children, take care to do it together, get tired but have fun."

• Learn Something New

Stating that time should also be used as an opportunity to learn something new, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş said, "Spouses should teach each other and the child something about their own interests. Small repair work, cooking, sewing, an unfamiliar card game. The important thing here is to learn something new that you have never tried before. Even your children can teach you something, for example, tonight I will learn from my daughters how to teach online."

• Exercise

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş says that we should definitely create opportunities to exercise every day and points out the benefits of this for both our physical and mental health. "There are many applications that can be used for this. These can be utilized. Cleaning is also good exercise. Or turn on music and dance. If you have children, dance with them. This way you can have fun and exercise together. By the way, do not forget to drink water during your stay at home, coffee, tea, and soft drinks are no substitute for water. While staying at home, many of us want to have a snack, learn healthy recipes for snacks, don't skip regular meals, and sit at the table as a family and eat your meals."

• Read more

"What a great opportunity to research things you don't know but are curious about," says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş continues her words as follows; "Actually, this period is a great opportunity to read more! They say "Logarithmic", what does that mean? How would pickles be made? Are there any animal names starting with the letter "N"? The latest books, books by your favorite authors, magazines... or whatever you want. But reading is one of the best activities you can do to enjoy your time..."

As a result, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akbaş reminded us that it is possible to turn the crisis into an opportunity and said, "Now we have a lot of time for the things we could not find time to do. This will be a temporary period, let's appreciate it."