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| Did Pandemic Open Pandora’s Box |
We all are going through a lot of challenges during the corona pandemic, be it emotional,
physical, or financial. The uncertainty of future and mandatory physical-distancing along with
self-isolation at homes is making it extremely difficult for many to handle. It sounds like the
pandemic has opened a Pandora’s Box full of big and small problems. One common feeling
among all now is of the frustration of immobility and suffocation of self-quarantine.
In the absence of work and normal daily routine, people are overeating in the hope of getting at
least something that could give a sense of satisfaction and comfort. I am also one among many
who is carving for comfort food more than normal. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this;
rather it worsens your mental wellbeing. So, if you are building corona stress you should pay
more attention to balancing the plate and be healthy to rejoin the workforce once normalcy
returns.
I am not a hardcore fitness enthusiast, but I have seen even avid practitioners avoid their daily
workout regimen. It is tough to find the reason behind the change, but one common visible
reason is the lack of motivation. Since, we keep ourselves self-motivated by paring stimulus to
reaction; the absence of pairing triggers like a park, gym, etc could be the biggest reason behind
non-activity. I agree, it is tough to remain motivated when one is in lockdown for over 60 days,
but the absence of regular fitness practices could worsen the physical and mental situation
further. Do whatever you could do to boost metabolism as this will make you feel good and
positive.
It is not just about eating more for satiate carving and the inability to work out, but the sense of
guilt that is building due to these two changes. The work from home is adding more to the guilt
load. Frankly, I have seen people welcoming the work-from-home in the early days of the
lockdown, but now most of them are showing signs of suffocation and the reason they are
highlighting is the productivity and lack of work atmosphere at home. We are conditioned to
perform optimally well in certain conditions and the absence of those conditions gives the mind
an excuse to save physical and mental energy.
I don’t know how the work-life will shape post-pandemic, but one thing I am witnessing is that
even highly motivated people are reaching the threshold and finding it difficult to maintain
sanity. I personally love to be in isolation as this gives me time to be with myself, but when you
don’t have the choice to go out and relax then this binding makes you feel like a prisoner of
self. And in this mental state, your free-thinking and creativity evaporate making you feel
frustrated and stressed.
Is there any way out of this mental trap? I can say it from my own experience that I could
manage only because I am accepting every evolving situation without much mental resistance,
because resistance drains your mental energy, especially when you can’t do anything about it.
So, be open and accept reality to reorient yourself and be ready to fire when the right time
comes.
We all love to be in the company of near and dear ones in the family. Everything was looking
great in the early days of lockdown as people were relishing the extra time they were spending
with family, but now people are complaining about the same. Most of the people, before the
pandemic, had their schedule of family time, but in lockdown one has to live with family
members 24x7, without any option to go anywhere. The absence of the diversity of daily
engagements making it difficult for many to behave normally. Imagine the level of tension in a
family full of people corona-stressed members, little triggers and everyone starts reacting
abnormally.
It is getting more challenging for kids to stay at home as they are under aggressive 24x7
monitoring of eyes parents. Since schools are closed and kids are not allowed to go out to play
they are showing signs of high-demand and this makes the situation worse for parents. Kids are
bound to seek attention and to do so they go the extra mile which irks parents. The pandemic is
exposing the weak links of relationships, especially couples, as they are facing the harsh reality
of realizing that they don’t get along well. It is more like an overdose of time, which is showing
reactionary signs in life.
On the positive side, the corona pandemic has given people time, which otherwise wasn’t
there, to do things they wanted to do in life. I know several people who are using this time to
learn skills to be more valuable through online courses. One of my friends started meditating
and she says this has changed her life completely. She intends to continue doing so forever as
she realized the value it gives in terms of building a strong foundation to face difficult situations
in a better manner.
Unlike others, I have a newly married friend who is enjoying the pandemic as this has allowed
them to spend quality time together and build a stronger relationship for the journey of life
ahead. My cousin always wanted to learn yoga and now she is doing it regularly.
The micro-blogging platform Twitter realized that their manpower is performing well while
working from home. So, they are now giving an option to employees to continue working from
home even after the lockdown ends.
You must have seen pictures of how our environment is healing. Pollution level in places like
Delhi is now at decadal low. People in Mumbai are seeing blue water in see, maybe for the first
in the last 20-30 years. The air quality index of the world has improved significantly. The good
part is that people, especially old age people, are happy as they could spend more time together and communicate better to strengthen bonds. Every challenge makes you stronger, it all depends on how you respond and manage challenges.
It is not just about humans, even animals are showing behavioral changes in the lockdown. I
realized how much my pet loves as he follows me everywhere. Now, I am in a better position to
understand his nature. I finally understood why people say that people who have pets have a
stronger emotional foundation.
Change is the law of nature; it is the speed of change that brings the shock value. So, one
should be mentally prepared to accept change and be healthy, physically, and mentally, to
move forward.
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