How to resist confinement, despite the uncertainty about its duration

Containment is not a health journey, but rather that of the combatant. And the one we live seems to have to last: established on March 17 for a fortnight, then extended until April 15, its total duration has been evaluated at "at least 6 weeks" by the Scientific Council, recalled Edouard Philippe. We hold on but until when? Does knowledge favor our resistance?

Researchers at King's College London have recently synthesized the psychic effects of quarantine, according to several studies carried out during previous epidemics (SARS, Ebola, H1N1). The hour is serious, even in our minds: "The separation of loved ones, loss of freedom, uncertainty about the state of the disease and boredom can […] create dramatic effects" , put they keep it.

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But the hour is serious ... especially when it seems endless. "Confinement each refers to a feeling of confinement ," observes clinical psychologist Béatrice Millêtre. We are prevented, limited, which represents, in a very archaic way, a deprivation of life. This experience becomes more bearable when an exit appears on the horizon, as when, stuck in a traffic jam, we finally see the sign “end of traffic jams in 15 km”. ” In our current field of vision, a line of stationary cars. "This uncertainty as to the duration of confinement, but also its methods, increases the feeling of helplessness: without time reference, we find it difficult to organize, to anticipate, to foresee." Should we make reservations for a week, a month? Letting go of homework or sticking to the schedule? Give in to chocolate and devour television series to fill the void, or monitor your line and maintain strict schedules?

According to British researchers, to avoid sinking "information is essential" . Knowing what's going on, understanding why (and not why), allows us to live this period better. But beware! It is not a question of staying connected all day long on France 24 and others. It is better to focus on the countries that are gradually seeing the end of the tunnel (China, Korea, etc.); on those who have experienced confinement, by discovering for example the prison letters from Nelson Mandela or the "tutorial confinement" of the astronaut Thomas Pesquet; and focus, above all, on ourselves.

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Béatrice Millêtre reminds us of what we may tend to forget: "We have all experienced painful situations, an illness, mourning, a break-up ... We can therefore rely on these skills which we have already demonstrated through past, on our ability to cope and get out of it. ”

Finally, the good idea is to focus on, not what deprives, but on what is (still) allowed for the body (one hour of outing per day, the possibility of jumping, moving, singing at home…) and the spirit (pleasure, mutual aid). It is about recreating spaces of freedom. While waiting to see the horizon of our mobility emerging.