Coronavirus: Australia is in the feared third quarter of lockdown

Experts say that in this time we’ve been subject to three psychological phases. The first was one of panic and confusion, when we were crying out for a sense of control and easily embraced restrictions. Then came the honeymoon phase when lockdown was almost a novelty. There was no more battling morning traffic, you could stay in your pyjamas all day, some started baking sourdough and others reconnected with nature. Now we’re in the eerie ‘Third Quarter,’ which has been identified in those stuck in space or submarines. Typically, isolated individuals become more irritable, you might feel sad or lonely, start drinking more alcohol and struggle to get to sleep. “There’s a sense of being trapped, there’s not a lot of new stimulation going on,” Clinical Psychologist Kimberley Norris told Sunrise.