Preparation for being in isolation is part of the training that astronauts undergo. They are required to be used to being in small or confined spaces. They are also required to know how to handle loneliness and stress.

Since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, a lot of space scientists have been giving out advice to make it through the quarantine period in one piece.

José Hernández, a Latino 57-year-old former NASA astronaut, gave advice to surviving the lockdown period as well, while still maintaining good health.

Hernández was able to get his dream of going to the International Space Station to reality in 2009. According to him, the time he spent training was not wasted as it helped him survive the current stay-at-home orders.

According to Hernández, astronauts go into isolation even for a two-week-long space mission. For weeks, they undergo medical isolation because they do not want to be excluded from the space mission for getting sick. Astronauts are experts in isolation. They even do it for more than one month. Also, they conduct a lot of exercises with their team as preparation.

Here are some of the advice given by Hernández to help everyone survive the lockdown orders:


Keep a Positive Attitude

Astronauts are also trained to survive in extreme places such as in the mountains during winter. They are sometimes tasked to look for life to get food and water.

They learn to adapt to the environment to survive. It helped them develop cooperation in the group.

They were able to overcome a stressful and challenging situation by creating strategies to win over loneliness and maintain a positive attitude over their current position.


Making a Routine and Communicate Effectively

People who are always busy do not spend a lot of time with their families in the same space. This is the reason why communication is essential.

One safety procedure strategy being implemented by NASA is by repeating communications more than once and attain confirmation though conversing.

Hernández learned that it is helpful to repeat when communicating with other people because it allows you to analyze your statements and filter out unnecessary requests.

Another technique is maintaining a routine. Having a schedule during the quarantine keeps you productive. Also, it allows you to measure your accomplishments.


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Overcome Loneliness

When a person has been isolated in his or her home for at least a month without any contact with other people, loneliness and sadness are difficult to control.

Hernández suggests that these people continue to communicate with family and friends. This was what he did during his training at NASA. It helped him overcome the difficulties brought by isolation.

His parents' home is ten minutes away from his residence. However, he does not want to increase the chances of them getting sick, so he decided to stay in his home. Technology had helped him communicate with his parents so they talked through online video calls, making technology a beneficial tool for everyone to see our loved ones.