Posts tagged COVID-19

Dark in the Light (Quarantine diaries, Room No-813)

COVID-19 Life

Normal is boring, sometimes, you know. I knew that I am going to get quarantined for 15 days. And I was ready and quite excited to take this challenge knowing that it’s going to be hard, cause sometime it’s good to divert life from normal ways. It was a new challenge for a girl like me to stay in a hotel room for 15 days without having fresh air or without having face to face contact of living beings. Since, I love to take challenges, I was physically and mentally prepared for this.

My “Mirror Room”! Yes, I named it “Mirror Room” as the whole room is surrounded by mirror. Though it was not so large but I think, I got enough space for living 15 days here. The most important thing of this room is the very large window from where I can view outside world. Thanks to God, human being still exists out there. And I love the window side only for the reason that at least I can see the beauty of weather, the sunlight, rain, trees, birds, air and most importantly peoples.

Window View of My Room

Although I was prepared for the situations, as days are passing, I started feeling lonely and stressed without any reason. Of course, I am a human being, so its normal to feel these ways. Is my mind now trying to make me fall into its trap of loneliness? Is my insight getting messy day by day? No chance! I have to keep in mind, life is beautiful and of course its messy sometimes that never goes according to plan. That doesn’t mean one can’t survive when she is passing through tough times. Of course, there is light in the end of tunnel.

“Life is beautiful and of course its messy sometimes that never goes according to plan.”

My feeling of nothing to do is getting deep into mind and seems I am not engaged in the world. Am I loosing my Focus? I don’t need to be afraid to put my dream in action. I am not afraid to try. Rather, it’s better to switch negative thoughts to happiness and joy in life. There are too many reasons to stay happy. And today is valentine’s day the whole world is showering with love. Love in the crowd is so colorful with so many objects and purposes. But here in this mirror room, Love is black and white, simple, sweet and pure. The definition of love changes with the time, place and situations though love remain the same. Like this, Each and every upcoming level of your life will demand a different version of you based on the situations.

Valentine Gift from Hotel

“The definition of love changes with the time, place and situations though love remain the same.”

Life is very short and every situation of it is temporary. A beautiful bird is sitting in a tree I can see through my window. It is raining out there with a wind. The bird is still sitting there not only because it needs a shed to save itself from getting wet, but also it knew how strong its leg and wings to save itself from the wind. Apparently, like the bird, A strong girl can never give up rather she come back stronger after crossing the tunnel. I am trying to divert my thought of being loneliness to create happiness with what I have now.

Companions of 14 Days

Now I can relate, the writer of “365 Days for Travelers” truly wrote “Where is happiness? Why Keep Praying to the divine for happiness or begging the Buddha for a way to find happiness? Happiness has always been in our hearts.”

“Where is happiness? Why Keep Praying to the divine for happiness or begging the Buddha for a way to find happiness? Happiness has always been in our hearts.”

Well I don’t need many things to pleasant my mind, one cup of coffee with small lovely talk (right now over the phone) is enough for me.

Where is happiness?

Oh Mind! Why human mind changes every time? Sometimes it feels like the spring, sometimes feels like Queen, sometimes like the Ocean and again sometimes it is full of emptiness. Mind is boundless and nobody can control mind. And my mind is now showering with joy as I am going outside tomorrow, I can feel the nature again. It feels like, God is giving me another opportunity to live happily in human world. Life is beautiful and I am going to make the rest of my life, the best of my life. I am in.

Finally I did it!

“Life is beautiful and I am going to make the rest of my life, the best of my life. I am in.”

World Mental Health Day-2020: A new hope amid COVID-19

COVID-19 Health & Wellness

The greatest assets of the human world are health, knowledge, love, freedom, solidarity and peace. These are now being threatened by the pandemic. As a daily lifestyle and social norms are changing, the purpose of life, as well as normal human psychology, is also changing.

Mental Health is a state of Psychological well-being of human beings. Each year on the 10th of October, the world observes World Mental Health Day. It creates an opportunity to come together to make mental health a reality for everyone and everywhere. This day also reminds us of the importance of mental health in humans’ life.

In every stage of human life, Mental Health is very important. It refers to emotional, psychological and social well being of human beings. As per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines, “Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, can overcome challenges, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” Thus, for living a balanced and healthy life mental health is an undivided part.

Mental health amid COVID-19

Human beings are passing through the most ticklish time. All around the world, the rapid expansion of COVID-19 has transformed people from social to isolated human beings. Since the beginning of 2020, people are going through this difficult situation and it has become obvious that people are going to suffer long term for this pandemic. Already, an unexpected number of people has been killed by the pandemic and the death rate is increasing day by day.

The present pandemic situation has put forward a great change to the human body as well as mind. Millions of people’s mental health are seriously in danger as they are suffering from fear, panic, anxiety disorder, depression and some other stressful condition. As a result, frequent behavioural changes of individual are occurring and this serious mental health issue is becoming a threat to physical health.

Impact of social distancing on people

Moreover, as human beings are social creatures, the term ‘work from home’ & ‘physical distancing’ are creating much burden on people. People are getting more vulnerable for the absence of face to face interaction and regular socializing which is affecting family relationships and other things. And the bitter truth is, the mood-boosting power of face to face interaction with others can’t reduce the stress-strain of people along with phone calls or other social networks.

Mental health impacts our thoughts, feelings, emotions, behaviours, and activities though most of the time we ignore this issue. In the present situation, people all over the world are getting stressed due to fear of being infected, fear of being isolated and helpless, fear of losing livelihood, job insecurity etc. In such a manner, the health condition of individuals getting down and sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, digestive problems, heart diseases, reproductive issues and even suicidal issues are coming to human minds.

COVID-19 test: A stigma in developing states

Particularly, in a developing country like Bangladesh, people ignore the importance of mental health because of lack of awareness. Moreover, in our country, this pandemic becomes very sensitive that has disrupted our long-cherished social and religious practices. Fear of stigma is haunting many people. Thus, people are avoiding and delaying for being tested until they are getting seriously ill.

People are getting afraid of quarantine and isolation because of social rejection and stigmatization. In many rural areas of our country, people are becoming double humiliated by their neighbours and others when they get a positive report. And this negative attitude from the society toward the infected people, in such a critical moment, makes them traumatized and mentally depressed. This depression is ruining human health and creates low motivation to live a happy life.

Mental peace necessary for sound health

As nobody knows how long this ‘Corona phobia’ is going to last in people’s mind, how many people are going to face death and what the future will bring, people have to fight with this disease. And to fight with this disease a sound mental condition is very important. Sound mental health can enhance the immune system and make it able to fight with infectious diseases.

Ways to get mental peace

The social brain of human beings always seeks a positive connection with others. A simple eye contact, friendly greetings, small talks, and exchanges of a smile (by maintaining physical distance) can have a great impact on mental peace in the present situation. As mind and body are interlinked with one another, regular physical exercises or activities and having balanced and healthy food can lift one’s mood which also helps to relieve stress and sleep better.

Use home confinement as an opportunity

Bad times or experiencing stresses are normal parts of human life. People’s ability to cope with the situation with a positive outlook is called resilience. And it is the individual who has the sole power to handle his own emotion in a positive way to build resilience. Home confinement creates an opportunity to strengthen family bonding by forming more quality time with them that human always wished to do in a previous competitive world.

Follow trustworthy sources

During crisis time, it is normal to feel stressed and people react differently in such situations. In present times, because of rumours and misinformation, most of the people feel out of control and get confused about what to do. It is necessary not to engage too much with negative news and only follow trusted sources of information. An individual need to address the stigma and create awareness among their family and near one’s.

Peer support

One thing that needs to be ensured that people who are staying alone or isolated should not be neglected by society. Peer support is another important thing that can reduce stress. A trusted person, whether from family or from friends, can work as a good helper to maintain mental peace by listening to the person who needs support. Therefore, there is always a need to focus on positive things and maintain a sense of hope.

“we all need to provide special attention to our mental well-being as it provides strength to our immune system to fight with the diseases”

The greatest assets of the human world are health, knowledge, love, freedom, solidarity and peace. These are now being threatened by the pandemic. As a daily lifestyle and social norms are changing, the purpose of life, as well as normal human psychology, is also changing. In such a situation, we all need to provide special attention to our mental well-being as it provides strength to our immune system to fight with the diseases. So, from today, lets become more concern about the psychological well-being of our own and near one’s, together for a better world.

This article was also published in Orbital Affairs Op-Ed on 9 October 2020.