While many of you may be utilizing this Lockdown to catch up on the much needed and way overdue family time, not everyone is getting to do that. There is a huge number of people who are trapped alone, away from their families and this Lockdown is turning out to be a very anxious time for them. This lockdown has thrown various types of challenges which not everyone is equipped to handle. Especially the ability to deal with stress revolving around these uncertain times. Let us unite at the face of adversity and sail through these tough times together. Here are a few places that you can make a difference.
Different people have different mechanisms to cope up with stress. With the lockdown in effect, everyday routine goes for a toss. This may seem so insignificant but over a period of time it exposes even the strongest of minds to susceptibility. People already struggling with depression and especially people who have lost a loved one recently, this social isolation is worst period for them. Even though people working from home have a distraction are certainly stressed thinking about work, dealing with family and their prerequisites (Especially families with kids) and worrying about the future in these uncertain times. People stuck far away from the safety of their homes and families are also affected. So no! this is not age related. People of all age groups are mentally affected in some or the other way, especially if they don’t have their support system near them. These are the times when you know that even the casual cup of tea with your team mates every evening near the office has a huge impact on your mental health.
What can we do? Does not take much! Practicing a few simple rules ensure in reducing the stress levels for a lot of people. People working from home are constantly on Con-Calls. Ensure that you enquire how each one is doing before starting the discussion on any agenda. Do not jump into official discussion immediately. Ensure you call your friends and colleagues whom you interact with on a daily basis. You may not be meeting them in person, does not mean that the break room gossip has to stop. Make it a point to call your Parent, relatives other aged acquaintances. They need your support now, more than ever. If you are aware of anyone going through a tough phase in personal life, ensure to check with them on a regular basis. Engage in a few friendly online games with them. Does not necessarily have to be something which only a hardcore online gamer would engage in, a simple game of Chess or Ludo would suffice. Anything that ensures people don’t feel alone during this lockdown. Let them get the confidence that even though they are unable to meet anyone physically, they are being remembered and there are people watching out for them.
The next set of people under tremendous amount of stress are aged people. Especially elderly people or couples who are living alone. With so much information floating around about how Elderly are more susceptible to Covid-19 and with the present situation where shopping for Medicines, Groceries have become a challenge, their fears and insecurities are at an all-time high.
How you can help? Talk to the elders in and around your house. Provide them with your contact number and encourage them to reach out to you if they need anything. Just a thought that they have someone in case of emergencies will go a long way in calming them. Every time you are planning on a quick grocery run, ensure to check with them on what they require and try and accommodate their requests as much as possible. Reducing their trips will be the biggest help you can do for them. It’s better for us, the youth of the nation to wait in line than have these elderly people wait. Let’s remember that they have done their part in carrying the responsibilities of running this world. It’s our time now to shoulder these responsibilities and give our elders the well-deserved rest.
The last but not the least in this list are the Kids. Though they may not be able to express it the way an adult would, they are certainly able to sense a change in everyday routines. It’s not really easy for them to understand why they need to be indoors and why they cannot go play with their friends. Especially if they are on holidays. Kids with their parents working from home are even more confused. They may not really be able to understand why their dad or mom are at home but are stuck to the laptop the whole day. They don’t understand why their cartoons need to go on mute every time their parents get a call. Added to that, the lack of Physical activity is going to provide them with loads of energy reserves that they are not sure how to release.
How can we help? We can help by being the adult in this situation. We need to understand that we are in their territory. They are not making noise where you work, in fact you are working in the place where they usually make noise. Home is the place where they feel safe and to a large extent are rules free, such as keeping quiet, listening intently etc. Suddenly implementing these kinds of rules can be stressful for the kid. The other way to go about it is, select a place where your calls can happen in a relatively interruption free manner. Relocate to this place every time you need to be in a disturbance free zone. Once in this place, even if you are disturbed, do not shout or punish your kid. Your company understands you are working from home, more importantly understand that you are working from your kids home. Also, involve the kid in DIY activities. This may limit your time spent on official work but is totally worth it when comparing to your kid’s mental health. Encourage your kids to paint, sing, build and most importantly learn. Keep the young mind learning and you will notice that they will come out of this lockdown much fresher than they went in. Do not ignore their requests. Understand what they are actually looking for. Even their tantrums may have an underlying request. Recognize their needs and awaken the “Lord Buddha” within you to ensure that you practice all the patience in the world when dealing with kids during the lockdown.
These trying times require your empathy more than ever. If you do come across anyone needing any type of help, do not hesitate to lend a helping hand. The most difficult thing to handle during these tough times are Medical Emergencies. Please ensure that you have Gigadocs readily available on your phones. This will help you search the nearest medical assistance that will be required. Remember “divided we are weak, but together we are strong!”
