Coping up with Quarantine

Staying home and working remotely is a new way of life and social distancing is the new way of caring for loved ones and above everything, a mask is our Life-Saving Weapon. We have put so much effort into protecting ourselves from the virus, pandemic and quarantine have taken a huge toll on our mental health. Sometimes we are emotionally drained and feel anxious as we are clueless about when we would lead a normal life again. We miss the old times, the exciting Fridays, the days when catching up with friends was just a matter of a few hours. Fingers crossed, we will bounce back to those days with much more strength and zeal but for now, let’s quarantine and take utmost care of our health and well-being. It is always easier said than done and quarantine 2.0 is no more a comfort zone but it is the best way to keep ourselves safe. Keep your spirits high and push yourself a little harder to cope up with quarantine 2.0

In the current scenario, though wearing a mask, practising social distancing, sanitization everything helps but firstly it is important to emphasize more on your fitness and immunity. Be mindful about your diet and include proteins and food that improves immunity like garlic, honey etc. We have so much information around, it is very important to authenticate the information and then start following it could be anything, the diet you follow, the fitness regime. We are not super humans to be at our best always, sometimes we lose hope, we feel disgusted seeing everything happening around us, the numbers are so disturbing, it is difficult to accept the reality. We break down at times, cry helplessly and we badly miss the good old days when we would breathe easily, the only way out is to seek help let’s normalize speaking about mental health it only makes us human. For some of us being alone and having some “ME” time is healing and therapeutic we come back stronger. Figure out what fits for you.

For the people who have battled the virus and survived it is not an easy journey it feels traumatized to be on the hospital bed longing to hug your loved ones but you have made it throughout, you are back home take time to bounce back, It is ok to miss your deadlines in these hard times your health comes first before anything. Do everything which makes you feel better. Seek help when you feel anxious, discuss with your friends and family about what you are going through sometimes just voicing out your pain heals everything. Emphasize more on your diet and immunity. These are the most challenging times, remind yourself “This too shall pass”.

I know how it feels to stay at home for so long but isn’t that a blessing! You don’t have to travel miles complaining about traffic and a lot of our time is saved. In a scary situation, we have the luxury to stay at home still working and being financially stable. Some people do not have any choice, they have to step out to make a living and their lives and the lives of their family members are at stake. The trip in your bucket list can wait for years, the sumptuous meal at your favourite restaurant will be the same or even tastier in the coming days, Stay home. Virtual hugs are a cosy way to stay connected with friends and it is the new cool!

How do you cope with the anxiety while working at home?

· Try something new, a form of art, cook a meal for yourself. explore different art do courses that will help you to pursue your passion. We always feel like we are lacking time to pursue our dreams and this is the right time. For instance, if you are good at writing, explore ways of using this skill and monetize it, network with people in the same niche. Social media has opened up so many opportunities all it takes is to have a strong will power to pursue your passion and make it big.

· Introspect yourself to make a list of activities that make you happy from within which makes you deeply involved in it. Plan your day accordingly including your regular day to day work and make some time for the activities you listed, Know what makes you happy after a tiring day, and lift yourself on your low days. At the end of the day, Happiness is all that matters.

· Read books to educate yourself about finances, investments, savings, and taxes. Financial education is not part of the curriculum, but it is a life skill we all must understand to lead a better life. It is not always about making money it is also about making money to work for you in return. I Will Teach You To be Rich-Ramit Sethi, The Psychology of Money -Morgan Housel are few good books, to begin with, and subscribing to newsletters of financial experts will also help to gain knowledge on finances.

What is the best you can do for yourself during Quarantine 2.0?

 In the journey of life we meet so many people, few people become our best friends, few friends become family too and we even lose people who mean the world we just don’t exist in their story anymore it’s all part of life but YOU are your life-long companion, You are the longest commitment of your life. So, it’s very important to understand yourself, your inner self,

What do you want in life, your aspirations, strengths, interests and most importantly know your emotional quotient. It makes you aware of your endurance, the more you know yourself it is easy for you to make decisions and face challenges. We are always in the rat race and miss out on these aspects of life but now the time is right to work on yourself and know yourself better. List out the qualities and habits you want to change in yourself and research on how to get over these qualities. For instance, we all fall into the trap of Procrastination. It is something that stops us from achieving our goals. Make a routine, have a “To-do” list and practice Self-discipline. Challenge yourself to stick to your to-do list and reward yourself for every little win. You will never be successful overnight “Success is tons of Self-discipline”. So, getting over procrastination is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. 

Be kind to everyone you come across and have immense empathy this pandemic has not spared anyone; everyone is fighting battles silently. Just a smile, a thank you, a small appreciation about their work can make their day especially the frontline workers, Doctors, and the entire medical fraternity who have come together to help us, let’s be kind!

Work on your relationships, support your friends and family in every possible way because we need to be there for each other in these trying times. Count your blessings and be grateful for each day and each meal

These are the most unprecedented times people are striving hard to get a meal for themselves, be kind, and try to donate how much ever you can no matter how little it is it can make someone’s life better. 

Always remember these tough days will not last forever but it’s important to be vigilant about your health because of all the battles we fight, chasing for life is the toughest. Let’s all be responsible towards society and stay at home so that when we all meet next time no one is missing!