It feels as if years have passed, worlds have changed and the reality is that everything is so messed up. Although things in our lives do get chaotic, yet, this is a new messed up era. If you have still not got it, I’m talking about the tiny monster who has devastated everything around us, the coronavirus, of course.
While there is nothing to be happy about, there are still multiple things we all can be grateful for. Things that have been the most affected are our mental health, peace and harmony. It used to be so easy to fix our mood by hanging out with our friends and family, or other times, just by going on a walk alone. And if it wasn’t something huge, you could get yourself your favourite junk food and the mental pressure would subside for some time.
What is this all about?
It is about the activities we all might have taken up at some time or the other in our past to run away from our harsh reality and layer up our emotions with materialistic pleasures. It is quite evident that most of us are not really mentally at peace in the current situation. Habits, routines and time schedules all have changed or been modified to a large extent.
Being quarantined has proved to be negative for the mental and social health of human beings. The closure of educational institutions, workplaces and entertainment venues has demanded people to stay at their homes to help break the chain of transmission. Separation from their loved ones, loss of freedom, boredom and uncertainty of the future have caused a deterioration in an individual’s mental health status. It has been observed that not just children, but even adults and people from all walks of life are distressed by the same. Each one of us is dealing with a fatigue, some physical and mostly mental.
According to a recent WHO survey, the coronavirus has disrupted mental health services for 93% of the countries. The demand for mental health services is increasing, while helping resources remain stagnant. This is the data that is open to the world, but statistics and graphs are just a method of getting closer to the problem, realising its repercussions and brace ourselves for the crisis management.
It is not the reality in most cases.
There are countless cases that are not being reported because of various factors. The aim is not to fill data sheets with the number of anxious and depressed individuals we have in a country, but to proudly mention that there are no cases of unhappy, depressed and stressed individuals on record or otherwise.
What is happening is uncontrollable, but we can accept it as reality and change the methodology of keeping ourselves healthy and at peace while we stay home for some more time. News channels, phone applications and incessant notifications on our gadgets would tell you to eat healthy, wear a mask and not to go out so that you remain fit.
Sad, but true. Not many talk about our unhealthy mental state. As it is of utmost importance to eat healthy and follow all Covid precautions, it is equally important to feel healthy from inside. We might be feeling helpless in stopping the outburst of Covid-19 cases, but we can surely try to tackle what’s going on inside us.
We need to distract our minds towards something more positive, productive and peaceful for ourselves as well as others. It might sound impossible at first, but trust me, we all can do it.
Here are some measures that might help us during this tough time:
- Pamper yourself: It has been so long since we took notice of our needs and focused on self-care. We have been so much worried about our work, studies or household chores that we have hardly been able to give time to ourselves. Nature is giving us that time now. Take out this time for yourself, focus on having an amazing skin care routine, relaxing and sleeping well to give your eyes a break from our phone screens.
- Schedule your time: Most of us are not able to adjust well to our environment, perhaps because we do not have a schedule. Try to make a time table, include self-leisure time, activity time, physical fitness time, and everything you wish to do. Making a schedule will help you in building healthy habits and sticking by them.
- Talk to friends and family: I know we are not allowed to go out and party, but times are such that if we and our family are happy, healthy and together, going out can wait. Whenever you feel anxious, call your buddies and have a chit-chat, plan a virtual party, plan video calls and embrace the fact that we are privileged enough to still be seeing them because we have an internet connection.
- Relax and meditate: Our life was way too fast-paced earlier, but now we have got time to relax and simply just do nothing. Isn’t it fun? Till we have time, we should ease out our body and mind, let them breath too. Think positive, meditate, try to recollect your thoughts and find yourself again. Hold the belief that everything is going to be fine, it is just a matter of time.
- Rejuvenate old fun habits: There were a lot of things we all used to do to take a break from our jam-packed pre-Covid daily life routine, such as dancing, listening to music, watching movies, cooking, baking and many more. Don’t let these sparkles of fun go away from your life during the pandemic. Now, when we have ample time, we must make the most of it.
- Find happiness in little things: Things that make us happy do not need any label, time is tough and so are we. Try to find happiness and pleasure in all big and small things around us. Value what you have and be positive that the things we are missing, we will get them back very soon.
This is my version of keeping myself physically and mentally fit. You find yours and enjoy this journey, explore new things while being at home. Be grateful for everything you have, while you have it.
Stay healthy and stay positive.