Let’s not discuss Covid-19 particularly. Let’s not curse the year. Let’s not talk about the way the authorities are tackling it. Let’s put it all aside. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the impacts of this current situation on ourselves, our lives.

Not a single soul on this planet is left unaffected by the pandemic. Everybody is struggling, struggling really hard to get through these tough times somehow. The increasing count of the sick and the dead; the snowballing of poverty all round the world; the irrevocable loss in economy – this is all being triggered by Covid-19.

And one of the most affected, but neglected, issues facing us is our mental health. Since the day the virus landed in our lives, it’s constantly mortifying our mental health really bad. Helplessness, hopelessness and hollowness are a major pressure on our sanity these days. In these hard times, our major goal should be to keep ourselves together physically, as well as mentally. And we need to be strong and show courage in the face of adversity.

Nothing is worth it, if it costs us our mental health. We hear, share, repeat many mental health quotations daily, but do we really care about our psychological state?

This is the perfect time to focus on and care for our mental health. There’s so much going on around us that it’s easy to fly off the handle, but let’s not do that. Let’s forget, for a time, the ways the coronavirus manipulates us. Let’s overlook the wrecking it gave us. Let’s leave everything negative behind us for a bit. Be positive and make use of this time on the right lines.

Charles R. Swindle, the author of The Grace Awakening said: “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. And so, it is with you ... we are in charge of our attitudes.”

Hope is the only thing stronger than fear. How privileged are so many of us that during this pandemic we can stay safe at home, spend time reading, creating, working and talking to our loved ones with little worries.

We are living in a time that will reverberate in the annals of world history. It will continue to be resurrected in novels, poetry, memoirs and cinematic productions. Far into the future, grandparents will tell stories of the pandemic years to their grandchildren with a memory that will surely play its tricks. This crisis will also provide new dimensions to conspiracy theories, mixing facts with fantasy.

Use the lockdown period to be physically and mentally stronger. This is also the time to be responsible and stay home. This week spare some time to send love and hope to those who are directly affected by the pandemic. In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.

Have you ever wondered that once all of it is over, you might never be able to get this calm back? The pause is unlikely to happen again once the play button hits on! All will get back to the rush, hustling and grinding! We might never experience this sense of stillness again, so I’d rather we let loose while it lasts!

Use this phase to look deeper, reflect back, play around, develop healthy habits, let that kid inside scream and rejoice! Focus on all that’s surrounding you, connect with nature and breathe. Not partially, but use the moment to feel fully alive! It’s a blessing in disguise, a gift of time!

REALITY CHECK: This is not a holiday. If you are lucky enough to live with the loved ones, hold them tight. A great form of meditation is to hug, breathe and smile. If you do not live with loved ones, look forward to the day you will hug them again and smile it will bring.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 17th, 2021