The Views of People Who Experienced the Reduction of the Concerns in the COVID-19 Quarantine Process by Making Physical Activity at Home

Soc Work Public Health. 2021 Aug 18;36(6):628-637. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2021.1941477. Epub 2021 Jul 5.

Abstract

COVID-19 affects the whole world and restricts the social life globally. The obligation to stay at home can cause psychological disorders for people. For this reason, physical activities at home are crucial to reduce the level of anxiety, protect against negative feelings, and strengthen the mental health. This study aims to investigate how COVID-19 affects the social life and the anxiety levels of people at home during the quarantine process within the framework of a solution-oriented approach. In this study, one of the qualitative research patterns "phenomenology" has been used to determine the opinions of the participants. The study group of the research consists of 14 people with moderate income who actively participate in anxiety-reducing activities of an International Coach Federation (ICF) consultancy center in İstanbul. The themes have been created in line with the answers obtained by the result of content analysis as "questioning the process, understanding yourself, internal purification," and sub-themes of these determined themes have also been created. It has been concluded that during quarantine; excessively exposed to media, the state of uncertainty about the end of the pandemic, the thought of themselves or their loved ones catching the virus, and the application of social isolation increase the anxiety. However, the participants have stated that by the help of physical activities performed at home, sleep disorders have been eliminated, concentration deficiency in activities carried out from home improved, and anger and tension decreased. As a result, it is concluded that participants' stress and anxiety levels are reduced by physical activity at home.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID 19; physical activity; quarantine.

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety* / prevention & control
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Exercise* / psychology
  • Humans
  • Quarantine* / psychology