Abhiksha Humagain
Sadiksha Adhikari
Earlier in life, we were engaged in finishing our school assignments, cramming for exams, waking up early, sleeping after midnight to complete projects. We used to be a dog- tired at the end of the week and yearn for holidays so we could finally relax. Then COVID 19 broke out in Wuhan, China, and soon a global pandemic was declared. Suddenly, people’s movements were restricted, schools, colleges, and businesses got closed and our daily routines changed overnight. From carefully managing our time so we could meet the next deadline, life shifted to doing nothing and passing time watching movies and web series. For a few weeks, the lack of pressure from work and studies was so enjoyable. Alarms were deleted and, instead of burning the midnight oil to finish reports or study for exams, we binge-watched on Netflix or just turned in early. But months later a strange thing has happened: many of us are feeling more tired than ever before.
Most of us are lethargic under lockdown than usual, many people have reported feeling strangely fatigued. Fatigue is not just physical, it is also psychological. Research has shown that tiredness can be caused by psychological states, such as stress and anxiety. Our brain constantly started being alert to the danger of viruses, which can sap energy quickly.
Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of psychology website Psychreg says,
the constant barrage of news puts most of us on the state of high alert, which can deplete our inducement. This explains the increasing number of suicide rates, multiplying the number of online counseling, and people showing psychological distress.
Seeking help is much needed during mental stress, but in addition to that, one must try to bring positive change in them individually too. Doing things that makes us happy is one of the many solutions to mental stress. However, the biggest problem is many people do not know how to make themselves happy.
Humankind is hand-wired with work. Doing any sort of work keeps our mind occupied and provides satisfaction and keeps us healthy mentally. But some of us believe that it’s okay to do nothing if it is so, why are we still feeling low? It is because we are habitual of being so busy, following a manic schedule?
We no more enjoy being unconfined and pealing social media. Why? It’s time to get over-ornate again! Let’s keep ourselves busy, do things that we always wanted but had no time for, challenge ourselves to complete tasks that can help us feel calm. To make yourself feel better, keep being engaged. Try everything, try to write blogs, make vlogs, sketch, sing, dance, read novels, just note down your thoughts and feelings, this might help you to review your progress and see how you adjust.
To avoid a drift into a state of apathy and feeling low and humdrum, we can plan a routine to spend a whole day. A scheduled day allows us to gain some control over our lives.
This lockdown is an opportunity for us to get out of our comfort zone. We have been focusing on our subject matter in regular days and it’s a great window of possibility to seek beyond the course, know about our ancestors, and the struggles of our parents, this keeps us grounded and motivated.
It’s almost 3 months long lockdown and it has created another fear on how to cope with the normal foregoing life. Firstly, the solution can be to get into the old routine and follow the everyday ritual as if we are going to school or work, this makes the day more structured and we can get some of the work done.
We can also virtually catch up with schools and work colleagues; which lessens the fear of reconnecting and being anxious around them. One of the best solutions is to reduce the time spent on social media as it is addictive and we might be reluctant to unfollow that later.
Staying home has been tiresome, one person has rightly said, “The only way to break the cycle of tiredness is to push through it” – so even if you feel knackered, finding time to work every day is the best way to feel energized and improve your overall mood. There is always something that makes us happy. Ask yourself how you are feeling, what’s in your mind, how will you bridge this time with your upcoming days and start acting accordingly. It’s time to come out of the cocoon.
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