By Laura Rivera
Anne McClain is an astronaut who joined NASA in 2013. This has allowed her to undergo full survival training for several different scenarios. According to Anne, one thing that astronauts have to be good at is: living in tight quarters for extended periods of time.
Here are her tips:
1. Communication
McClain claims that it’s fundamental that you speak objectively, so others understand you: “Express information and feelings freely.” She said it’s also important to keep an eye on nonverbal communication, and to inform other about the results of your actions, whether they turned out how you expected or not, and also to admit when you mess up.
2. Leadership
Adapt your lifestyle to your current situation; define tasks and establish goals even if you can’t go outside. It’s true that maintaining good communication during isolation is complicated; however, McClain highlights the importance of talking when there’s a problem: providing information, feedback and answers can help you solve the problem.
3. Self-care
It’s important that you identify your strengths and weaknesses, both psychological and physical. Balance your schedule between work time, play time, and rest; this will help you prevent missing out on anything from your routine. Take the necessary measures to reduce your stress and negativity; try to be as social as possible.
4. Respect and cheer up those who need it
Make sure that you observe how those around you are doing. In general, stress and emotional fatigue are easily noticeable. Offering and accepting help will make it easier to take care of everyone.
5. Teamwork
In a situation like this, it’s good to be open to different opinions, personalities, and skills. Anne McClain defines it as: “Cooperating instead of competing.” It’s important to use our collective knowledge to reach an objective and ensure your and others’ positivity.
Anne McClain, an expert in living with very few people and in isolation gives you tips to minimize the side-effects of loneliness and make it out of this okay.