Listen

What we see around us today is something saddening and extremely overwhelming. With ambulance siren sounds all the time, with tragedy-stricken stories on social media, newspapers, and television, and the terrible experiences we hear from our friends and other relatives. It is all more than enough to cause us anxiety, make us feel insecure and tensed. Well, first things first you have to be glad that you are alive and happy today and that your near and dear ones are doing well. But, we should all think to ourselves that while so many people can survive so many situations outside, can’t we gather the courage to stay home and live with healthy minds? 

Yes, we can. Believe it and it’s all a minds play. 

Below are a few suggestions that you could adapt to and which will help you in getting through this rough patch with ease and grace. 

1. Do what you can: This means contributing and helping people get out of their misery. This could be donating money for treatment, getting essential medicines and injections arranged for patients. Making use of social media and sharing all the contact information and other updates that will help people. When you do these things, at some level, you’ll be satisfied that you’re doing your bit, this will even ease out your anxiety. 
2. Be informed, alert and cautious: This is the smart way, know what is happening, stay at home and take every precaution you can, which would include sanitizing your homes, the high touch areas like doorknobs, chairs, and tables, bathroom taps, etc. Do not meet anybody unless extremely essential and before meeting them politely ask them if you had any symptoms a few days back or have been in touch with anybody else, who possibly tested positive. Confirm all of this and only then meet them. Read your papers just to get informed, not to get anxious and sad or dejected. Keep all your essentials ready, especially for the older people who live with you. This would include an oximeter, a B.P, and a sugar checker machine for people who have these problems. Keep all your emergency contacts intact, this is again only for precaution, not for causing tension. This is a smart way to be cautious.
3. Try avoiding excessive covid talks on-call: Since it is there everywhere, it is possible that every relative of friend would start a conversation talking about covid cases and the like, you shall talk about it for a bit, for even you might have a lot to share. However, slowly ease the conversation and quickly digress into some fun memory you have with them. It could be the time you and your friend went for a holiday or the time you spent with the person in college or just some funny thing you came across. You both will quickly slip into a happy mood and a sequence of other fun times will be a part of your conversation. So, the benefit here is that you feel happy, it eases all your stress, it brings a smile on both your faces, and gives you the hope and courage to face the reality with a fresh perspective. 
4. Maintain your routine, ensure physical and mental discipline: This is a must, for all of all ages. Yes, we call are doing our work on time and are delivering great results for our organization and to a very far extent, this is keeping our head of things and is keeping us productively occupied. But what about our physical and mental well-being in this work-from-home situation. Physical well-being and mental well-being are essential to keep you happy and wise. Meditation, yoga, playing games, walking, etc, should be a part of your daily routine and they will keep you safe, sane, and happy. People with any habits should also be disciplined with it.
5. Patience, wisdom, faith, and belief: Make it a point that these four virtues are a part of your way of life especially at this point. They will help you think more broadly, liberally and will also help you make others feel better about the situation and face it rather than just constantly fearing it. 

Fear and faith cannot be practiced at the same time. Fear has no role to play where there is faith. The clouds are over us now, but they will move away and a fresh ray of sun will fall on your doorstep again. You’ll be able to meet your friends and family again, you will be able to go to your places of worship, watch movies in cinema theatres and breathe the air without it getting filtered with an N95 mask. 

But, for now, stay patient, stay calm, stay courageous. it is a test and we have to pass it. 

We are all in this together!

Wait for the light at the end of the tunnel.