The pandemic has caused a pandemonium across the globe, taking lives, destroying economies, and taking a toll on the mental health of a lot of people. It would not be out of place to say that the pandemic has affected the mental health of a vast majority globally.
What started as anxiety and fear of the unknown disease, then evolved to become a cause for mental agony in many cases.
Initially, none of us had an idea of what the virus was all about, but we knew it was something terrible, and we needed to take a lot of precautions. We were scared and took all the precautions, sanitizing, social distancing, and wearing masks. We were diligently following everything, including following the norms of the lockdowns imposed.
But while adhering to all these, there was a hope that it was only for a few days, and normalcy would return soon! Unfortunately, as time passed, we realized that the coronavirus was not going anywhere. It became impossible to see any light at the end of a never-ending tunnel! The global economic collapse affected many of us on a personal level as well with people losing jobs, businesses facing losses, etc. etc.
Yes! It is not a pleasant world to live in!
It is also difficult to stay positive and hopeful for a better tomorrow. As much as we might try to perk up our spirits, we may tend to feel “is it going to make any difference to the reality around us?”
These were my feelings about the pandemic too! Initially, I was badly affected mentally because of the information being shared on news channels about the pandemic. The staggering figures of the number of infected people and the number of deaths in countries with the best of healthcare facilities were scary, to say the least!
I began to think that if developed countries could not manage the pandemic, what would we do in India, with such a vast population, and below-average healthcare infrastructure?
I felt that most of us would die! And I was worried sick thinking that I did not want to see any of my loved ones die before me. I almost started praying that I die before anyone I love suffers. I was anxious, upset, and even started losing sleep! I was in a low state, somehow managing my daily chores.
It was during this time that I happened to watch some of the talks of spiritual gurus on YouTube. It was interesting to listen to them. It was these talks, coupled with the positive figures of mortality rate and the recovery rate in India that helped me come out of my mental distress.
When I heard that fear was one of the most negative emotions that could make us more vulnerable to the virus and that one needed to face the pandemic with positivity to boost immunity, it changed my entire perspective. I made a conscious effort to change my attitude. I started by minimizing watching/reading news on the COVID-19 infection. This took off a lot of stress.
I work as a freelance content writer. The volume of work was affected badly because some of my international clients were not in a position to give me work. Initially, I did not mind it because I was not in the mental state to work. Besides, I was finding it difficult to cope with the household chores, which I had to do because the maid was not coming.
Anyway, after some time, when I was able to manage my work and time, I wanted to write, but there was no work! This was depressing! Then one day, as I was sitting and thinking of what I could do to increase my clientele, I remembered my dream of becoming an author—the dream that had got buried somewhere!
I thought, why not do it now? So I started working on my first book “A Lockdown Story”, which was a narration of my lockdown experience in India. Writing the book was a fulfilling experience. Soon, all my fears and worries about the coronavirus took a backseat as I expressed myself freely in my book.
While writing the book, I realized that the lockdown was not all negative, but had brought forth so many positive aspects to my life also. I felt happy. It was while writing the book that I realized that life is too short to be wasted on worrying and getting scared. I decided to take control of my emotions and look at the brighter side of things.
I not only wrote my book but also edited and published it. It was a great learning experience. Writing the book was just the beginning! My thought process soon transformed, and I realized that true joy was internal and did not depend on external things.
It was during the lockdown that my eyes opened to a lot of truths about life and myself. I began the most exciting journey of my life: the journey of inner transformation!
No doubt the pandemic is a terrible situation outside, but it is how we cope with it that makes all the difference!