What have these 60 days in LOCKDOWN taught me about life
No denying, these times that we are witnessing right now, since the beginning of March 2020, are completely unprecedented. Never ever, even in the wildest of our dreams could we ever fathom that we would be asked to stay put in our homes, with an absolute restriction on moving out. We would fear meeting people and refrain from even shaking hands or having any sort of contact. Life would come to a standstill. Our work lives would stop, our incomes would stop, no businesses, no jobs around the world would be happening. There would be anxiety, gloom and an unnerving fear of uncertainty looming all around. We would be required to wear masks all the time as a safety gear. Washing hands 10 times a day and using a sanitizer would become a regular norm.
But yes, it is true, we all are living this nightmare right now. And strangely, its not just a group of people, but this pandemic situation has hit all countries and continents alike. It is a global pandemic that every human being is living in fear of right now. Though this lockdown all around the world is a first-of-its-kind situation for each one of us, there have been some immense learning through this all. It is now been 2 months of lockdown in India. Though I would not say that it has been all easy and time has just flown by, but yes there has been some positive takeaways from this period, that have certainly impacted me deeply.
I wanted to pen down how I have felt in these 60 days, as this moment in history needs to be recorded. We are all together in experiencing this and maybe sometime in the future, we all would be telling our generations about these days. There would be stories to tell and it just makes sense to put this down in words and keep a record of all the intangible emotions and experiences. As a person, who has always been a fan of simplicity and minimalism in everything, the pace at which our society was advancing and transforming was a little overwhelming for me. I always wanted things to slow down and people to take a U-turn towards the early simpler times when there would be less of technology and more of human interaction. There would be simplicity in thoughts and actions alike.
Lockdown at home in Corona
The first few days were extremely anxiety inducing. No one really knew what was happening. We weren’t really sure how to cope up with all the time in hand. There was a major feeling of FOMO – Fear of Missing out. Days felt long, boring and depressing. Everyone was turning to cooking, fitness, family time, Netflix. The screen time had increased multifold and we were just mindlessly consuming all the content and news that was being served to us. After a month of doing nothing much and getting too stressed up about the whole situation, I finally found my calm. I have finally realised that I need to stay in a routine and stay disciplined as this could probably be the new way of life.
We have actually gone a few years back now. Maybe not in terms of growth and advancement, but the overtly flamboyant and outward life that we were leading. We all were mindlessly getting pushed towards a vain and superficial lifestyle. That pressure to succumb has gone now. Having stayed with themselves, aloof from the society and friends and the social circle, people have turned more inwards than outwards. The real priorities in life like home, food, shelter, and family have taken precedence over everything else. The real essence of life that is peace of mind, calmness, good family time, gratitude have come to the fore. In this sense, the entire human race has turned backwards, and I am definitely happy for this change.
Life in Lockdown
I had been missing reading for so many years now. As much as I wanted to, the pressures of my work would just not allow me any time. Now, with a lot of unnecessary stuff being chalked out of my life, I get some really quality time to read. As opposed to the initial days in lockdown, I have also now cut down on the unnecessary screen time. There is no binge watching on Netflix during the weekdays. Since, I am not required to stay connected to too many people, even virtually through my phone, I have stopped spending too much time on the screen. My mental, emotional, and physical well-being is of utmost importance at this time.
I have started to value the unadulterated happiness that spending time with family, with your phones kept aside for sure, brings to life. This period of lockdown has taught me to spend time with myself, be happy in my own company and find joy in smaller things in life. I am also planning to start off with gardening soon. The closer we stay to nature, the happier and more content our lives would be.
Sitting at home through all these days in lockdown, I have decided to bring about a few major changes in my life from now on. Penning them down below to share it with you all and also to keep a hard copy of the same. I am sending this out to the universe this way ad shall also keep coming back to the same in case I forget to stay aligned to this at any point in my life. If a pandemic of this magnitude doesn’t push us to bring about some drastic positive changes in our lives, I don’t know what else will.
- Each day, I would be taking out time to EXERCISE. Though I have been gymming for years, I would now want to move gears to YOGA and CORE STRENGTHENING exercises. I started doing Yoga in this lockdown period and found it really relaxing and soothing.
- I would have to strategize my SPENDING BUDGETS. Would spend more sensibly and only on things that I need. No running after fashion fads and popular trends. Stock up more classics in my wardrobe and style and wear them more often.
– Take care of my RELATIONSHIPS. I am actually going to cut down on how much time I invest in people. There has to be a clear demarcation between real and close relationships and acquaintances. I am going to get more selective about who I invest my energies into. Quality over quantity always.
- Definitely EATING HEALTHIER now. Cutting down majorly on processed foods. Simple naturally grown food items, more of fresh vegetables and fruits.
- I would be more mindful of the CONTENT I WATCH. No impulsive binging. Watching only that content that has a major value addition, either in terms of knowledge, information, or entertainment quotient.
- Dedicating more QUALITY TIME TO FAMILY for sure. Indulging in some interactive activities, playing games, talking, and just sharing what’s going on in lives.
- Taking care of my MENTAL PEACE. No relationship, no worldly pursuit comes before that. Life is passing by and each day does count. Rather than depending and planning for the future all the time, it is actually the way I spend each day that counts. Because the day that is gone is gone. It won’t come back. Hence, I shall focus more on the present and making my each day happy and fulfilling.
- Finally, this lockdown period has taught me to be SELF-RELIANT and SELF-SUFFICIENT, to make peace with what life has to offer. We all do need to plan life but also accept the fact that life has its own plans too. We can’t control everything. What has to happen, will happen and in due time. We can just keep working towards what we want.
- DESIRES need to be curbed. We can’t spend our entire lives chasing our desires because that it never ending process and there is too much in the present that we are losing out for that.
This lockdown phase and the whole pandemic situation had though induced a lot of worry and anxiety in me, but now after 60 days of staying indoors and practically not having much to do, I am finally at a lot of peace with myself. There is a sense of profound calm in me and I wish to carry on with this feeling into the life ahead.
This was a very honest and personal account of my experience in these days of lockdown. Would love to hear your experience of the same in the comments below.
With a hope that the world becomes Corona Free very soon. Take care, stay home and stay safe.
Till my next,
Garima//LadyInRoseGold
