Contents
Fear of going outside: what is cabin syndrome and who does it affect
Psychology
Many people are afraid, even panicky, to go outside after confinement
If there are those who, when departures were allowed by schedule, took to the streets, finally enjoying a walk, there are others who found more objections. After almost fifty days without leaving home, and in the middle of a situation as complicated as the coronavirus crisis that one lives, the expected departure is not such a pleasant idea for everyone.
We speak then of the “cabin syndrome”, although it is important to specify that it is not a pathology as such. This is how we call the phenomenon that some people experience: after spending so many days confined, they feel fear of going out on the street again.
“When we speak of ‘cabin syndrome’, we refer to a state of mind, mental and emotional that has been studied in people who, after spending time in forced confinement, have had difficulties to return to their home. situation prior to confinement», Explains Sandra Isella, a psychologist at the Cepsim Psychological Center. This state is what some people experience these days when the de-escalation begins: «You feel fear, even panic or phobia, to go out on the street again; we want to stay at home, which is a place where we feel safe ”, explains psychologist Miguel Ángel Rizaldos.
Why are we afraid to go out on the street again?
There are several factors that can influence our being “affected” by this “Cabin syndrome”. One of the main ones is the overexposure we have to the news these days. «We live a long-term situation with minute by minute, which generates uncertainty, a feeling that leads to fear very easily, “says the psychologist.
Although information can help us know what is happening and feel better, it is also a double-edged sword. The psychologist Sheila Estévez Vallejo explains that we are faced with a problem when “we stay in a loop going around the information that comes to us”, since this is how “our anxiety is fed”. “We must balance the scale so that neither good nor bad is what gains prominence, but objectivity to be able to handle the situation to which it refers as well as possible,” says the professional.
Likewise, it is relevant to note that, even if you have relatives affected by Covid-19, you are not necessarily more likely to experience this fear due to the return to “normality.” “This” syndrome “has more to do with if we suffer from anxiety, or even agoraphobia “, says Miguel Ángel Rizaldos. In this case, our strength and resilience capacity is more relevant than having had negative experiences during quarantine related to the virus.
Even so, the psychologist Sandra Isella comments that those who have gone through difficult experiences these days may feel an increase in fear of going out again and adds that all the arguments that we have assimilated to stay at home («The danger is out and therefore we must remain confined ‘) can turn against us. «We suddenly entered this new way of living, and we conceive our home as the safe place. Now the uncertainty continues and going out means facing new situations, which can be difficult, ”says the professional.
More incidence if we live alone
Having passed the quarantine alone can also take a toll on us when we leave. “Confinement, on a psychological level, is not easy and it is not healthy either. If, in addition to being isolated, we have gone through them alone, this can increase our vulnerability “, explains psychologist Miguel Ángel Rizaldos.
This happens because, having spent so much time in isolation, we have somehow become “unaccustomed to contact as we knew it until now.” Sheila Estévez Vallejo points out, you can think of going out to the street “as something hostile”: “Having to maintain a protocol of” no contact “, we cannot be ourselves (often accustomed to social relationships in which kisses and hugs have a lot of prominence), with which we choose to stay at home as an escape route from anxiety, or what is the same, we feed back the «cabin syndrome».
Fear: Recognize it in order to cancel it
When it comes to going out, if we feel that fear of hitting the street again, both professionals give advice. «It is normal to feel fear, and recognizing this emotion is already a step. We are regulating it, we do not want to do something, but we are capable of facing it, ”says Miguel Ángel Rizaldos and adds: “If we face the fear we feel, we make it smaller”. Also, remember that we should not force ourselves, and, if we need time, our going out to the street “can be gradual.” “Fear is born because it protects us, it is our ally, not an enemy,” says the psychologist.
For her part, the psychologist Sheila Estévez Vallejo highlights the importance of “enhancing resilience.” Therefore, he encourages accepting the situation, but not resigning ourselves to it and explains that, “Keep doing the things learned during this confinement”such as cooking, online courses or journaling. These activities, which we have established in our lives for almost 50 days, are lessons learned that will be key to maintaining in order to give meaning to this stage in our lives once the state of alarm is over.
Progressive return to “normality”
Likewise, he points out that it will make us feel that we control the situation to follow the protocol established by the authorities: «Wear gloves, masks, comply with schedules … all this will help us to take control of our own lives and begin to see each other with our people, respecting limits marked, increasing caution and reducing the feeling of danger.
Like Miguel Ángel Rizaldos, he recommends returning to normality “at our own pace”, listening to us and accepting the steps that can be taken at the speed that we are ready to do so. «We each have our timesThis will reduce the anxiety, stress and frustration that would come with doing it without feeling prepared or keeping up with others, ”he says.
Sandra Isella agrees with the two experts: the return to “our life” must be gradual. To give an example, the psychologist says that from now on we are going to live on “another planet”, in which we are faced with new norms, habits and behaviors. “Our approach to this new life must be gradual, little by little we adapt to a reality that is going to be very different from the one we leave behind,” he concludes.