Coronavirus Impact: For Many, Quarantine Feels A Lot Like 'Groundhog Day'
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - It's not February 2nd, but it sure does feel like "Groundhog Day" lately.
Quarantine feels a lot like living the same day over and over. Weekdays blend into the weekend with a lot of us unaware of the actual day.
Some TV stations across the country have even launched a new segment solely to remind viewers what day it is.
Miami-based licensed psychologist Dr. Raquel Bild-Libbin specializes in the treatment of life transitions - a pandemic certainly qualifies.
"Only structure allows us not to be anxious and not to be thinking that every day is the same day and it's a routine. We feel kind of cooped up because we just don't know what's the difference," she explained.
Dr. Bild-Libbin says that so-called "Groundhog Day" feeling could impact your mental health if not kept in check.
"When we are in this situation, depression becomes much more common," she said. "People sometimes tend to feel they have nothing to do so they stay in bed a lot longer."
Back in February, Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow, predicting an early Spring. But experts still can't predict exactly when this pandemic might end.
"We also have anxiety because people don't quite know when this is going to be over," Bild-Libbin told CBS4 anchor Lauren Pastrana. "We don't know how things are going to be."
Bild-Libbin says it helps to have different plans and goals for each day of the week to break up the mental monotony of being home all day, every day.
"Every day has to have some kind of meaning, that at the end of the day you can be grateful for that day and with what you had the opportunity to do," she said.
It's all about putting a positive spin on a negative situation.
"We have gained something that we have always wanted which is time," she said. "It's one of the most valuable things you could possibly have. And if you think of our past we always said 'Oh, if I only had the time. If I only had more time'. So this is the time for us to think about what are some of those things we always wish we had more time for. And begin to program that into our new schedule."
In the movie Groundhog Day, the main character played by Bill Murray eventually uses the time loop to not only better himself but also the lives of those around him. That's not a bad example to follow as you're staying "safe at home."
