Even if many of us lacked far behind our notions of an ideal life, at least we had our sense of normalcy. While "TheNewNormal" hashtags long made their way to social media, lack of normalcy is already taking a silent toll behind the strong front we are trying to put up.
There is no denying the Covid threats, but it is also high time that we allow people to resume back to their routines with vaccination drives and stringent Covid protocols in place. Many of us have taken our own routes to deal with the pandemic effects, trying to hold our forts as strongly as we can.
But, it would be extremely naive to believe that the impact of pandemic is limited to our heightened procrastination levels and the current solace would not have isolation effects on our mental health. From lay-offs and financial stress to questionable corona degrees and no school for a year; everyone seems to be stuck with their own set of pandemic challenges without the usual support of friends and colleagues (at least not in ways of the offline lifestyle).
I remember watching this post on the "WhatsApp status of an old teacher and reposting the same as it seemed to fit my situation so well. I had completely intended it on a lighter note about how we can't control it all but accepting the fact is the easiest way to avoid the mental low. Naturally, I had a few friends trying to explain how we should avoid using the word "depression" so lightly. But, since I was in no moods for lectures and had just meant the post on a much lighter note as it completely fitted to my situation, briefly explained and deleted the post and forgot. However, watching the TEDx Talk by Sarah Liberti reminded me of the day and made me realise, how they indeed had a point that day."
It goes on to show that despite massive social media campaigns, there are still a vast majority of us who don't really understand mental health despite our best efforts. But, irrespective of our understanding, all our EQs have been challenged in the past 19 months of COVID-19.
In the pre-pandemic times, we took solace in home when there was stress at work and distracted our mind with work when tensions ran high back home. While it seemed like a nice vacation for many in the begining, blurring boundaries and diminishing space are becoming frustrating, almost for all.
Teens and youngsters who could otherwise take on negotiating roles with their parents, make memories with their friends and enjoy some of the most fun times of their lives are losing out on both learning and happiness.
Everyone seems to be taking refuge in happy emojis online and silently seeping into their problems back home. As students, it is not just your degree with diminishing returns but the strength of your real friends seem to be diminishing with each passing month as well.
On one end, four walls of your home seem to be eating up on your soul; on the other it feels scary to imagine if you can even re-adapt to that old life once your institution opens up. In this entire process, our families are becoming the worst sufferers, having to put up with incomprehensible moods and surprising outbursts at the most random occassions.
The sense of belongingness that all humans tend to look for is going on for a toss with the few glues left, taking the worst brunts. Despite best intentions, it becomes nearly impossible to not misunderstand people in the absence of casual non-verbals and be there for each other when even the simplest of own problems seem too difficult to manage.
While no one can deny the need to stay safe from virus, it is also high time we allow students especially children to return to schools and make most out of their formative years rather than causing irreparable damage (without anyone's fault) to young leaders of tomorrow.
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