Most of the time, we humans have a strong tendency to neglect our mental health and believe me, this observation has nothing to do with the country that I live in (although we Indians might be the worst when it comes to acknowledging our mental problems), it surpasses all the geographical boundaries of our world, just like the recent pandemic.
Which has given me all the more reason to talk about mental health. We, today, are witnessing a once in a lifetime crisis which has left the whole humanity shaken; it has made us doubt everything we have built so far, everything that we have striven for.
While everyone is stressing upon the importance of maintaining a healthy immune system (they are right to do so), we must not forget the amount of mental stress that people, inadvertently, might take upon which will only result in the decreased immunity as well.
Peace of mind is the basis of a healthy body.
Dalai Lama
To avoid all the negativity that is out there and maintain mental peace, we should start focusing our energy on ourselves and on our loved ones. Current situation has provided us with a rare opportunity to let our creative sides run wild, to let our mind wander freely, to show that we care, to learn something new, to complete that painting which we left unfinished to earn better wage. It has given us time to count our blessings and celebrate the little things.
I am listing down a few things which you can do during this lock-down to rejuvenate your mind.
Exercise
Remember that new year’s resolution of getting back in shape and shedding those few extra pounds to rock that special cocktail dress? Yeah right! Get back on it! So that when all this gets over, you will have something to show and tell. 😉
You know whenever things aren’t going the way they should and we find ourselves with our hands tied, meditate. It will do wonders to get away from the unnecessary jitters and will provide you with calmness and strength for the tough times.
Meditation
Cook. Write. Read. Learn a new skill. Develop a new hobby.
Try a new skill, impress your loved ones with the magic in your hands, make some real use of all the Master-chef seasons you binged watched and earn some Brownie points (pun intended). Complete the unfinished drafts, write a novel or even pick up a book which you always wanted to read. Expand your horizons.
Remember all the talks which you kept on procrastinating because there was no time? Remember all the friends with whom you lost touch because there was no time? Remember all the invites you ignored to your children’s tea party because you were too tires and there was no time? Well, now you have time.
Strengthen the bonds. Renew the friendship. Rekindle the love.
There are thousand different ways to spend your days in a productive way. Don’t let the darkness take you over the edge. We all are in this together and we will fight this together. And as a personal request to all of you, please call people (on the phone) who you think are alone and need someone to talk too. No one should feel lost, no one should feel scared, no one should feel alone. STAND BY EACH OTHER!
When the night has come, and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we see
No, I won’t be afraid. Just as long as you stand, stand by me.And darling, darling stand by me.
Stand by me (1961). Performed by Ben E King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller.
