I remember the days when our elders would say “Swasth tan me hi swasth man ka vaas hota hai,” meaning we must be physically fit to be mentally fit. But, is it really true? I don’t think so, especially during this pandemic. I personally feel that all those who are completely healthy (physically) are also going through some or other mental illness.
Today we should say that you must be mentally fit, irrespective of your physical health status. Mental illness has always existed in our society but never comes out as a matter of open discussion. But, this pandemic has changed this scenario.
If I talk about myself, I spend most of my life doing 9-5 jobs to earn money for my family, never been idle for even a day. Even on Sunday or during holidays, I’ve had to run from morning till night for sake of the happiness of my family members. Suddenly circumstances forced me to sit at home, not for some days, but for months and so on.
The initial few days were spent in panic and fear, and nothing came to mind other than to keep me or the family members safe from this virus. Then, as time passed, we realized that this is not going to resolve soon. Now the brain tries to overcome this trauma and starts to think about other problems as well.
As most business activities are on hold and many aren’t in a position to resume soon, lacs of working professionals like me are out of a job. Now we’ve had to fight two different war fronts: one to save me and my family from getting infected from this virus, and the other to survive without any regular earnings so far.
Now, sitting idle at home is becoming difficult for but I feel helpless. I start my day thinking about what to do today and end with the same, which results in feeling worthless. Now people are sitting home not just because of the fear of getting infected but because there’s no job to go outside.
With every passing day, I felt more worthless and stopped talking to my family, and spent most of my time in self-isolation which led to depression. Unfortunately, our society still will not take it seriously like other physical illnesses.
One day I was watching television just to pass the time when I saw a story of a man who stuck on a remote island. How he kept himself engaged and motivated for that coming uncertain day when some ship will reach that island. This was his turning point and start feeling joyful. I recalled my school days when I’d write poems for school functions and was appreciated. Now I got a new purpose for the utilisation of this spare time. Now I feel I am out of this mental illness and ready to rock.