write a essay on the best thing I learned during the lock down (300-350 words)
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The first few days of a lockdown may seem enjoyable, but as days go by, many people will feel different degrees of anxiety, restlessness and despair. But, hang in there, there are many silver linings to this
We are seeing a state of “lockdown” unfold all over the world. These are early days of living a life we are not familiar with, and our mind keeps throwing out what-if scenarios like, “Will my family be safe? “What if I get sick?” “How will I spend my days?” and “What if I can’t cope?” If you are asking yourself questions like this without feeling reassured about the answers you come up with, you are not alone. A prolonged curfew or lockdown can impact our mental well-being in the face of a seemingly invisible pandemic.
Let’s break down the initial or acute phase of a lockdown. At first, we may enjoy doing things we didn’t have time for - cooking a meal, more time with the kids, watching movies and reading books. On the flip side, we might question the need for a lockdown and start to feel a void for not being able to go to work, meet friends, go to the gym… This can cause a sense of restlessness. These reactions are a normal process of adjusting to a drastic change, and can be expected as we continue to adjust to various scenarios around the lockdown. During this initial phase, keep the momentum of activities going strong every day. Have a structure in place.
The choices we make in these early days will likely offer us protection against too much idle time, boredom, and feeling trapped within our own homes, as the first few weeks progress. Once the “newness” of this phase has passed, and more time is spent in lockdown, we may move to a stage of accepting that the essential structure of our lives has shifted. This can be disorienting. It is normal to feel angry, fearful, and sad as we experience the loss of social connection and productivity as we knew it, and this can be felt at a deeper level. A few important things to remember as you navigate this time.
Fear protects
Even if you have never felt fear before, chances are that you might be feeling it now. Fear is an adaptive biological response that helps us to protect ourselves from threat or danger, and evolution has designed itself in a way that our survival over the years has been determined by how we adapt to stress and how we respond to threat. Put this in context of what we are facing globally today, fear is a natural and adaptive response - our mind and body telling us that we are facing a dangerous situation. However, this response can get overwhelming, and can lead to a “fight or flight” response which can cause interruptions in our daily functioning. It’s important to take breaks from triggers or events that might increase our fear response.
Feeling on-guard
Because we don’t know whether our health will be impacted, our responses to stress can turn into a state of hypervigilance. Hypervigilance is a state of heightened sensory sensitivity to our environment and surroundings, and serves the function of being “on alert” or looking out for what we might consider as threats. We might feel a bit panicky at the sound of someone coughing or feel our heart race quicker when we hear the doorbell ringing suddenly. We will likely already be experiencing this to some extent, and can expect to have moments like this through the lockdown period and afterwards. These reactions are normal, but it is also wise to keep a check on how constant vigilance might be impacting our ability to focus, make decisions, and stay healthy and productive. As we spend a long time in social distancing, it is natural to feel a sense of despair or have increased negative thoughts about the future.
The first few days of a lockdown may seem enjoyable, but as days go by, many people will feel different degrees of anxiety, restlessness and despair. But, hang in there, there are many silver linings to this
We are seeing a state of “lockdown” unfold all over the world. These are early days of living a life we are not familiar with, and our mind keeps throwing out what-if scenarios like, “Will my family be safe? “What if I get sick?” “How will I spend my days?” and “What if I can’t cope?” If you are asking yourself questions like this without feeling reassured about the answers you come up with, you are not alone. A prolonged curfew or lockdown can impact our mental well-being in the face of a seemingly invisible pandemic.
Let’s break down the initial or acute phase of a lockdown. At first, we may enjoy doing things we didn’t have time for - cooking a meal, more time with the kids, watching movies and reading books. On the flip side, we might question the need for a lockdown and start to feel a void for not being able to go to work, meet friends, go to the gym… This can cause a sense of restlessness. These reactions are a normal process of adjusting to a drastic change, and can be expected as we continue to adjust to various scenarios around the lockdown. During this initial phase, keep the momentum of activities going strong every day. Have a structure in place.