What is social isolation? How should a person self-isolate? Advice from an astronaut
With social isolation measures being taken around the world to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, people now spend much of their daily lives at home. Although this approach helps bring the outbreak under control, it can also affect an individual's personal development and productivity.
What we can do at home is therefore very important. Some striking advice on this subject came from astronaut Chris Hadfield.
The first Canadian astronaut to go into space, Chris Hadfield, discusses how his time on the International Space Station resembles what is happening today. He notes that, despite living far from their normal lives in a dangerous environment in space, astronauts were able to develop themselves and increase their productivity in isolation.
Based on his experience in space, Hadfield offers people 4 principles for making good use of their time during this period:
- Be aware of the risks
‘Do not be afraid of what is happening. Consult a reliable source and be aware of the risks that you and your loved ones are facing at the moment.’ - Identify your goal / mission
‘What do you want to achieve within a given period (daily, weekly, monthly)? In which areas do you want to improve yourself?’ - Know your limitations
‘What responsibilities do you have during this period? What tasks do you have to carry out? What is your financial situation?’ - Put it into practice
‘As described in the previous steps, once you are aware of the risk, have identified your goal and know your limitations, it is time to put your goals into practice.’
Do something
These do not have to be things you have done before. Spending time with family, doing housework, learning to play the guitar, learning a new language, making an exercise plan, reading books, writing… It is entirely up to you. See this period as an opportunity to create different things. In particular, with the countless written and visual materials available online, there are resources for almost every field of activity.
As an example of what can be done while living in isolation, we would like to share Hadfield's performance of David Bowie's song Space Oddity on the International Space Station:
Stay at home and stay healthy...
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