Staying Healthy and Positive During the Lockdown

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

It's now been nearly three months that Indians have been in some kind of lockdown. Social distancing and work from home have become the new normal for many of us. Worse still, cases of Covid-19 in the country are only increasing, and it is not clear when this nightmare will end. All of this creates a deadline cocktail of anxiety.

Like most others, I too have struggled to cope with the challenges that these unprecedented times have thrown up. My financial and other privileges have, of course, kept my situation much better than that of many less fortunate compatriots. But all of us are unique, and both rejoice and suffer uniquely. Therefore, while reminded ourselves of our good fortunes, we should also be acutely aware of how we're feeling, and ensure that we're keeping healthy.

Needless to say, over the past three months, I have tried many different ways to keep myself mentally healthy and energised. In this blog, I am sharing a few things that have worked for me. Your situation might not allow you to do these things, or they might not even work for you. My purpose in writing them down is that some things might resonate with you, and could be the beginning of a conversation you have with yourself.

• Exercise - I cannot stress this enough: regular exercise helps keep your mind in good spirits. I was lucky enough to have ordered some equipment right before the lockdown, and that has allowed me to work out nearly everyday. There are, of course, days when I really don't want to go through the motions. But a gentle nudge, and encouraging myself to work out just a bit, helps. I would also recommend keeping your phone away during exercise. I find this helps create a space where one can detach from work completely. I also find it useful to walk back-and-forth both within and right outside my house, and to find a way to soak in fresh air.

• Eat Healthy and Regularly - Another old favourite. Since I live alone, I need to manage my own eating habits. In the initial days of the lockdown, like most others, I also had to cook my own food, clean my own dishes, and do my own grocery shopping. Even with the cook now back, I'm often tempted to either postpone meals, or order something unhealthy but delicious. However, I realise that we may be in this for the long haul, and eating healthy helps keep both mind and body in good shape. Therefore, I eat lots of fruits, and try to eat my meals regularly. At first, I used to order a lot from restaurants because the great food cheered me up. But it became repetitive over time, and now I try to cook myself often to keep things diverse. It's been especially challenging because I'm trying to be vegetarian since the beginning of the year, but I've thankfully held up well thus far. 

• Stay Connected with Friends - Social distancing can lull us into a state of social indifference, where we feel that reaching out to people is a chore. This is a risk especially for introverts like me, who don't need as much social interaction. In many cases, we may simply not be accustomed to only hearing or seeing our close friends digitally. Moreover, many of us in the corporate world might find that we need to schedule things with friends before we can call them. But we need to realise that we're social animals, and interacting with other humans is a simple human function. I have re-discovered the joys of video calling, and frequently speak to many friends. I take the liberty to call them without 'scheduling' things, to encourage the culture of lowering barriers.  

• Follow a Schedule - Work from home is challenging for many people because of the blurring lines between work and home. If I don't feel like doing something now, I can do it late at night or over the weekend anyway - it's all the same! I've struggled with this too, especially because I live in a studio and the physical boundaries just don't exist. I must also confess that in the first two months, I gave into a very toxic cycle of no separation between work and personal life. I'm getting better now - for example, keeping emails and work away on weekends. It feels great, and I feel refreshed on Monday mornings. Even during weekdays, I've started avoiding India-based calls after 5 PM. Trust me, it helps. It's not always easy and not always possible - especially if, like me, you really enjoy work. But it's important. Our minds aren't designed for months-long treadmills. You may not feel it now, but your mind will eventually give you the signs.

• Enjoy Life - This could be the new normal for a few months or years of our lives. We can't stop living life, in the hope that it will all be back to normal soon. We live in a very uncertain world. Between geopolitical tension, economic contraction, civil unrest, and another pandemic - who really knows when our lives will next get disrupted? The key is to treat ambiguity and disruptions as 'normal', and not (completely) pausing life while waiting for things to go back to how they were. I've found solace in three things. First, I've been reading a lot and try to keep most of my weekends just for reading. Second, I watch a lot of shows and movies online - something I wasn't into earlier, but find very enjoyable now. Thirdly, I eat ice cream more often than I otherwise permit myself to. Every person has to find what works for them. I don't think the idea should be to push oneself and learn a new skill 'for the future', but to do things one enjoys.