How are we handling the quarantine?

Needless to say these are difficult times. Unprecedented and unexpected. I never thought “viral” will take such a literal and frightening meaning in 2020. With the world in a lockdown and social distancing being the buzzword, it seems we are living out of an apocalyptic Hollywood movie!

I, particularly, haven’t taken to this quarantine situation in a very affirmative way. My brain is almost listless and I feel energy depleted. My anxiety is up and about and keeping me company all the time. I struggled with trying to deflect my thoughts to something more “positive”, everytime my mind went into a quandary; however, it only made me feel worse. So have I found a solution or do I have a fix for this? Sadly I haven’t and I don’t.

So what’s the point of writing this, if you are wondering. It’s just to say that it’s okay. It’s okay to be feeling terrible and hopeless, it’s okay to not feel anything. We needn’t feel pressurised to feel a particular way or have some agenda for this period ( social media is abuzz with just that). There’s no necessity to arrive on the other side of quarantine with a beach body or having mastered tons of skills and languages.

The priority during such a time should be our mental health. Let’s take care of ourselves in the most gentle way. Let’s be kind to our feelings and emotions now, more than ever. Let me remind you, our every thought is valid. Let’s just do what we can, to tide through this crisis. What have I been doing? Workouts and reading. Both calm me down to an extent.

Follow people on social media who bring you solace. Engage in conversations that provide warmth and validation. Do anything and everything that is bringing you relief. There is no right or wrong answer here. Each one of us is different, hence our response to the quarantine is going to be obviously different. Instead of offering solutions (guilty!) let’s just support one another, lift each other up, and be kind.