Covid Awareness

Covid19– A Blessing in Disguise

Connecting with Family and Oneself During the Pandemic

We Indians, 135+ crore in all, have been under complete lockdown for over 4 months and as the Unlock down proceeds, we have been practicing restricted movement in an attempt to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, life has changed for all of us in every conceivable way, our everyday routines have been turned upside down.

On one hand, there is the fear of contracting COVID-19; being isolated from family, friends, colleagues, and society in general; the continuous influx of gloomy contagion-related news; and stress regarding the future, finances, job security and the imminent economic recession. All of this has cumulatively had a deeply negative impact on our mental health. The current situation may be a strange and difficult time for some people, but there are some unexpected benefits including the opportunity to spend more time with family. We’ve been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to examine the way we’ve been living and shake up how we do things.

An ordinary week with kids and family is usually a gauntlet run of schools, drop-offs, hurried workdays, hasty dinners, pending assignments, meetings, and a range of activities that keep us scurrying from place to place, hardly able to take a breath.

Now suddenly, our calendars are wiped up to zero.  Undoubtedly some difficulties go along with being stuck at home with no one but each other for entertainment. But, interestingly, this has brought about some measure to return to simple activities, like spending time with our families.

So many families have transformed this lockdown situation into a family vacation of sorts, enjoying and relishing the simple things in life. In so many households, the domestic chores have become a fun family project, so that the burden doesn’t fall on any one person or two. Even the kids are doing their beds, tidying up their things and helping with the bigger chores. Families are cooking meals and eating together, exercising together, watching movies together, playing games, having great conversations, reliving good times from the past and creating fabulous new memories. 

Ironically, being isolated from the world is also allowing us to strengthen our ‘other relationships’. We’re searching for old friends on social media and reconnecting with the–people we haven’t seen or spoken to since school or college. Be it our relatives, friends, colleagues or social acquaintances, we’re all in the same boat right now. We’ve all realized that the situation calls for ‘social distancing’, not ‘emotional distancing’. We’re taking the time to talk to people. 

We’re realizing that our true needs are quite simple and we can function perfectly well even with the bare minimum. We’re learning that the discipline of a structured routine is not just necessary for our jobs, our education and our social commitments-but also for giving our day-to-day lives a sense of purpose. Having a schedule while we’re confined to our homes is helping us increase productivity and keeping us in good spirits. The absence of chaotic rush-hour traffic, the incessant commotion of people and crowds, and the inescapable demands of varied commitments are proving to be a boon in numerous ways. 

In the absence of domestic help, we’re realizing that it is possible to take care of the household chores ourselves. We’re becoming ‘self-sufficient’ in so many diverse ways.

This has also been an opportunity for many of us to spend some quality time with ourselves. People have taken up new hobbies and activities. Some are learning a musical instrument, some a new language, and so many are acquiring a new skill altogether with great enthusiasm. People are reading again. Many are simply choosing to meditate and breathe. What matters is that each of us has discovered a personalized version of ‘me time’, which is helping us relax and recharge ourselves.  This lockdown has given all of us, as individuals, an opportunity to think with calm minds and take a long, hard look at our lives. Like the clutter in our closets, we’re doing away with the disorder in our minds as well. Right now, we’re practicing mindfulness and learning to concentrate on the positives of the present. We now have the time to just stand and stare and engage in self-introspection and move away from the mad pursuit and rush that we had been a part of. This is unmistakably an opportunity to reset our body clocks, rewire our brains, do away with the bad lifestyle habits from before the lockdown and plan the positive transformations we need to make in ourselves and our lives when this crisis is eventually averted.

All in all, this lockdown has offered its own set of positives. We’ve become more aware of our emotional needs; we’re understanding people better and we’re bonding with each other like never before. Let’s keep these positives going even after this pandemic has passed