With billions of people around the world suddenly adjusting to social distancing measures as part of the battle to slow the spread of COVID-19, some professionals who are used to confinement have some tips. From astronauts to submariners, here are some practical ways to boost your well-being and stave off cabin fever during those weeks stuck at home.
‘Have a schedule’
Scott Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut, spent nearly a year aboard the International Space Station. He told AFP that mindset was crucial.
Photo: AP
照片：美聯社
“People need to have the right expectation, we don’t know when this is gonna be over,” he said. “We could be in this for the long haul so your mindset needs to be: I’m living a similar thing to living in space for a year, I need to have a schedule, I need to get up at a regular time, to go to sleep at a regular time.”
He also said exercise was key for both physical and mental well-being while confined. “You need to schedule time for exercise. If you cannot get out if you don’t have a garden, raise the window shade, open the window and stick your head outside, make that part of daily routine.”
Find your mission
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
For Vincent Larnaudie-Eiffel, a former commander of a nuclear submarine, working well in confinement means finding and investing in your own personal “mission.”
Just like on board the sub, “stuck in our apartments, we all share a mission and that is to protect others, medical workers, and successfully navigate this ordeal.”
He said it was important to establish a daily routine and stick to it. “You can’t give in... you need to do something with this suspended time.” For Larnaudie-Eiffel and his crewmates, this involved building models or growing plants under artificial light during their spare time.
“It’s also important that everyone has their own space,” he told AFP. “In a submarine it might be a cramped bed-space. It’s the same in a cramped apartment.”
‘Try new things’
Sailor Isabelle Autissier was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe alone. This involved a lot of time to herself. But she said she never felt lonely because “I chose to be alone.”
For people stuck at home she recommends using the time “to try new things, reading, listening to different music, write your journal, take photos, start drawing.”
Above all it’s important that people don’t look too far ahead. When she was at sea, facing an indeterminate amount of time alone “the first thing is not to count the days,” said Autissier. “You can’t constantly be thinking I’ll get there in three months, in a month, in 10 minutes.”
‘Morale dips are normal’
Cyprien Verseux, an astrobiologist at Germany’s University of Bremen, once spent over a year in a small pod with five other volunteers simulating conditions in a future mission to Mars.
“It’s normal for your morale and productivity to dip,” he said. “That’s not a sign of weakness. Don’t add guilt to your problems.”
When in confinement for the experiment, Verseux wasn’t allowed outside and was forbidden from communicating in real time with the outside world. “Even if we don’t all react the same to confinement we can adopt good practise that makes these periods more manageable,” he said.
He recommends choosing one or two activities and practising hard. “Also do your sport, light weights, do yoga, zumba... even if there’s a lack of space there are solutions to stay in shape,” he said.
Stay in touch
In 2009, astronaut Frank de Winne became the first European to command the International Space Station.
He said it was vital to maintain human contact, even if only electronically. “Means of communication are there, you have to make the effort and use them,” he said.
The Belgian, now in quarantine on Earth, makes sure to video call his elderly mother at the same time each day. “That allows her to see me. It also creates a bit of structure for her because she knows that I’m going to call her,” he said.
(AFP)
為減緩武漢肺炎的傳播，全世界有數十億人忽然得要適應政府的抗疫措施，以保持社交距離。對此，幾位習於禁足狀態的專業人士提供了一些訣竅。從太空人到潛水艇人員，以下是他們所提供的實用方法，可以讓你待在家這幾週的健康情況改善，並避免幽閉煩躁症。
「按表操課」
自美國太空總署退休的太空人史考特‧凱利，曾在國際太空站待了將近一年。他告訴法新社說，心態是至關重要的。
他說：「我們不知道這情況何時會結束，人們必須有這正確的預期心理」。「我們可能會處於這種狀態很長的時間，因此你的心態應該是這樣：我現在就像是要在太空生活一年，我需要有作息時間表，需要定時起床、定時去睡覺」。
他還說，禁足在家時，運動對於身體和心理的健康至關重要。「你需要安排運動的時間。如果你沒有花園、不能出去，那就拉起窗簾、打開窗戶，然後把頭伸到外面，把它排程為每日例行公事之一」。
找到你的使命
對曾任核子潛艇司令官的凡松‧拉諾迪—艾菲爾來說，在居家隔離時把工作做好，意味找到你自己的「使命」並投入其中。
如同在潛艇中一樣，「我們困在公寓裡，所有人都有著共同的使命，那就是保護別人、保護醫療人員，並成功度過這嚴酷的考驗」。
他說，建立一套每日例行程序並堅持下去，是很重要的。「你不能屈服……你必須用這段停擺的時間來做點事情」。對於拉諾迪—艾菲爾及其潛艇組員來說，這包括在閒暇時組裝模型，或是利用人造光種植物。
「每個人都有自己的空間也是很重要的」，他告訴法新社說。「在潛水艇中，此個人空間或許是個狹窄的床位。若是身處狹小的公寓，也是一樣的道理」。
「嘗試新事物」
航海家伊莎貝‧歐提西耶是第一位獨自環繞地球航行的女性。要完成此舉，她必須孤身一人很長一段時間。但她說她從不覺得孤獨，因為「是我選擇了獨自一人」。
對於那些困在家裡的人，她建議可以利用這段時間「嘗試新事物、閱讀、聽不同的音樂、寫日記、拍照、開始畫畫」。
最重要的，是不要想得太遠。歐提西耶說，當她在海上時，面對不知將會持續多久的獨處時間，「第一件事就是不要去數日子」。「你不能一直去想說我會在三個月、一個月、十分鐘後抵達那裡」。
「士氣低落是正常的」
德國不來梅大學的天體生物學家西普揚‧維索曾與五名志願者一起，在一個小艙裡待了一年多，模擬未來火星探索任務之情境。
他說：「你的士氣和生產力下降是正常的」。「這並不表示你軟弱。不要把罪惡感再加到你的問題上頭」。
維索參與這禁足的實驗時，不能到艙外，也被禁止與外界進行即時溝通。他說：「即便我們對被禁足的反應不同，我們也可以採用一些好的做法，來使這些時間更容易度過」。
他建議選擇一、兩項活動並努力練習。他說：「你也可以做運動、減肥、做瑜伽、跳森巴舞……即使空間不足，也可以找到解決辦法來維持身材」。
保持聯繫
太空人法蘭克‧德溫勒在二○○九年成為指揮國際太空站的第一位歐洲人。
他說，保持人與人之間的聯繫極為重要，即便只是透過電子的方式。「我們已經有了溝通的工具，你必須付諸行動來運用它」。
比利時籍的他現正在地球上進行隔離，且每天一定會在同樣的時間跟年邁的母親視訊通話。他說：「這讓她可以看到我。這也給她一個時間框架，因為她知道我會在這時候打電話給她」。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
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讀後練習
Did you know?
Cabin fever is defined as extreme restlessness or irritability from living in isolation or in confined spaces for long periods of time.
Cabin fever may set in when a person or a group of people spend long periods in an isolated situation, such as in a vacation cottage or a submarine. It can cause sleep problems and induce feelings of boredom and anxiety, and may consequently lead to irrational or potentially life-threatening decisions.
(Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
1. social distancing phr.
保持社交距離 (bao3 chi2 she4 jiao1 ju4 li2)
2. confinement n.
禁足 (jin4 zu2)
3. astronaut n.
太空人 (tai4 kong1 ren2)
4. submariner n.
潛水艇人員 (qian2 shui2 ting3 ren2 yuan2)
5. cabin fever phr.
幽閉煩躁症 (you1 bi4 fan2 zao4 zheng4)
6. mindset n.
心態 (xin1 tai4)
7. daily routine phr.
每日例行程序 (mei3 ri4 li4 xing2 cheng2 xu4)
8. circumnavigate the globe phr.
環繞地球航行 (huan2 rao4 di4 qiu2 hang2 xing2)
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