The last quarter of this year has been so tragic and horrible, as we are forced to stay indoors in quarantine. The fear and destruction caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have struck us so hard, as getting out of this is going to give a tough time to us. A good part of the population didn’t see this coming, and yes, we’ve saved a lot of lives by staying indoors at a small cost of sacrificing our regular lifestyle. At the same time, the lockdown restrictions are getting lifted in non-containment areas and where the number of infected cases is less. So it’s going to be a step by step process, and how are we going to face it? Are you ready to accept and change to this oscillating frequency of changes? The piece intends to discuss some ways through which you can effectively handle these changes.
Slow and Steady
It is recommended not to make some brisk attempts to socialize or get back to your kin the very second you leave lockdown. Apparently, it will take some time, even for them, to process everything and gradually move back to the older lifestyle or adapt to this new one.
Preplanning everything will not only help you from getting infected but also successfully adapting to this changed or changing lifestyle.
Taking a leap straight to the lifestyle you used to have had once is a foolish step both for mental and physical health. Also, don’t depend on pills or other kinds of meds to adapt to these situations.
Maintain a diary or keep notes of what you did, how and are you satisfied with the progress you made today. Ask these questions to yourself every night before going to bed and set goals to accomplish for the next day when you wake up. It is definitely hard, but not impossible. We will bounce back, maybe not quickly, but gradually and definitely.
Create an Inside Picture
If making the best use of the pandemic is a part of your goals, add making efforts for adjusting, accepting and adapting to this whole new environment as a priority. You may need to understand that there is life even after the lifting of the lockdown, and it should go on. It is a pretty obvious thing that it might trouble you mentally for a while, but all of this is just another phase of life, an unexpected but can be mastered with sheer will and a well-set mind to welcome these.
Creating an Inside Picture is part of our regular schedule, even in normal life. You know very well how we overthink some things a lot which are very important to us. It’s similar to that. We create a mental picture of ourselves whenever we plan something or are expecting something to happen. This usually happens with or without our knowledge, but this technique can be implied in this situation to foresee the changing world and our part in the same. Varying pictures of these will help you expect and give yourself a better idea of what is coming and how you are going to face it. Positive or negative, it doesn’t matter at all. What matters is the ability to generate these inside pictures to foresee what is coming and how you will face it.
It is totally OK to be afraid
Yes, you read it right. Fear is one thing that is definitely a part of this pandemic, and literally, no one is safe until and unless he or she is following all instructions and taking all safety measures.
Fear is a strong emotion that will make you do unimaginable things. All you need is a good reason to make the fear work for you in a positive manner. That will be a great head start, and you are good to go.
You can use other means to contact your friends, your buddies or anyone with whom you are really comfortable at sharing things. Share your fears, talk about them but never lose them. Not just during this pandemic, fear works everywhere. It is Ok, and more importantly, it is a good thing to be afraid because it will give you a reason to drive forward and not settle with what you have.
Self-care is the best care
Taking good care of your physical health post pandemic will also help in driving out the unnecessary tension and anxieties in your mind. Proper hygiene should be followed at any cost. The changes around you may cause a lot of discrepancies in the way you take care of your physical health.
For example, you may not be getting enough sleep on time or simply have uneven sleeping habits, which you are not at all used to. Sticking onto homely food for a long time and not being able to go out and hang out for a while. Lack of popular sources of entertainment like new movie releases, live sports etc. These will affect your mental health to a huge level and make the return so difficult. You’ll get used to these habits, and after lockdown, things will settle into another atmosphere, a blend of past and present.
Taking good care of your health, maintaining a proper balance between changes, expecting the incoming ones and sorting the habits that you want to practice long term with the ones you want to get rid of as soon as possible are some of the areas you can concentrate and work on.
