Had the privilege to attend a webinar organized by the Meghalaya Scout and Guide Fellowship on understanding Covid 19 pandemic. Amongst other known speakers of the State, the main speaker in the Webinar is Dr. Debanjan Banerjee, a renowned Psychiatrist from NIMHANS, Bengaluru who elaborated on Mental Health during the pandemic. While speaking on various aspects of mental health, Dr. Debanjan spoke at length about the effects that this pandemic has had on our mental well-being and how it can further trigger if we are not consciously taking care of it.
Metal health is not just the absence of mental disorders. It is a state of well-being in which one can handle the stresses of life without any difficulty, can work productively, and can perceive satisfaction. By far, the trend of low functioning is common and tagging it as not feeling well is what is doing the rounds now without further pondering as to why one is feeling in a particular way. The tendency of remaining aloof, feeling of anxiety, irritability, and fear of what may happen can lead to negative stress and have long-term effects.
Being the last to know:
Inaccurate information spreads widely and at speed, making it more difficult for the public to identify verified facts and advice from trusted sources. Breaking news, which usually is an effort of national and international news channels, has become part and parcel of peoples lifestyle who by all means wants to be the first to disseminate any attention-driven information. In one of the slides, Dr. Debanjan stressed the need to distance oneself from such news, forwards of WhatsApp, and getting carried away by fabricated information that is harmful to those at the receiving end.
The conspiracy theories are flooding the minds of the people to an extent that they have become overloaded with information, many of which have only trigger anxiousness, fear, uncertainty, and accumulated stress day in and day out. These are natural responses to the unknown. Knowing that the situation is bad is sufficient. Being updated is a healthy trend. However, the tendency to know each and every detail (number of affected cases, reported deaths, etc.) can take a toll on ones mental health, especially for those who are aged and those who do not have a clear understanding of the situation. What is happy to note is that WhatsApp has confirmed that it is working on a feature that would allow users to cross-check the authenticity of a message preferably a forward on Google before passing it on to others.
Dr. Debanjan has in fact prevented many of his clients from watching news updates before sleeping. Being exposed to unpleasant events before sleeping can keep the mind thinking and wondering about the whys, the whens, and the hows of the pandemic, which may result in sleeplessness and anxiety. Using smartphones, if we realize is a matter of choice and there is more to life beyond it. Limiting exposure to media also means muting chats and chat groups that spread fear-mongering fake news. Watching news and information from reputable sources, once or twice a day and then fill the rest of your day with other meaningful activities would be ideal. Social distancing does not mean social isolation. Reaching out and checking regularly with people we care about by making a phone call, a video call or an SMS is healthy.
Life without Smartphones:
Came across a very interesting story of a person who used his mobile phone like people did with telephones in earlier days and that is to make and receive calls. The immediate reaction was I became a happier person now!’. Distractions have reduced. He terms this experiment of his as a technology detox. Too much of anything becomes toxic, and today you can find screens shining some kind of a distraction at you on every single step you take’, he further shared.
It took him some days to get over the addiction. The first three days made him felt like an addict without his shot but by the fourth day, he felt 20% more relax (a subjective assessment). Using mobile phones should be done according to our advantage, and not as a burden preventing us from thinking and being creative. The detoxing process made him free from the usual practice that we have all become slaves to. He stated There was no need any more for me to look at the phone every three minutes and check if there is anything new. Unlock the phone, open apps one by one E-mail, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc., spend a few minutes on every app, lock the phone. A few minutes passed, repeat the loop, unlock the phone, open the first app, and so on. Like a robot. Suddenly I didnt care about the notifications anymore. Suddenly there was no need to start the unproductive activity loop around 300 times per day. Yes, 300 times per day is the number of times that the average smartphone owner looks at the screen.
His experiences without his smartphone made him express that By ditching the phone, a big part of the brain fog also went away. I could feel more connected to myself. I gained the ability to think better and more clearly. Creating in the flow, knowing that nothing could really disturb me and that there was no need to check for new notifications led me to a whole new level of focus and creativity’. The digital world is too addictive and the only sound solution is to have a set strategy and system that enable us to enjoy the best from both worlds real life and digital life.
Making the best of the situation:
In order to make a significant change in your life and your mental health with regard to stress, there are more things one can do. It is easy to feel like we have to work as hard as we can for as long as we can, but we need breaks. For working folks, the to-do list seems endless. And it growsevery day. Many of us are guilty of wanting to do so many things on our list in order to feel ‘accomplished’ at the end of the day. However, our minds need breaks. Yes, productivity is a good thing. However, a well-deserved break can help us relax and feel recharged.
While boredom seemed to have been in charge of our lives during the lockdown, we have at times failed to recall that we did long for long leaves and holidays when we were too busy and caught up with work and unending office tasks. In an overscheduled and hectic culture, it can be easy to miss the little joys in life. With the current pandemic, more and more people are reflecting to have clarity on their purpose in life. Some are reviving their passion which they have long been suppressed in the past because of personal and professional responsibilities.
Increased time at home can be an excellent opportunity to build or rediscover different types of hobbies. Picking up new or old hobbies brings us joy and enriches our lives. It gives us something fun to do with our newfound leisure time and allows us to learn new skills. Cooking, baking, making pickles, flower arrangement, gardening, knitting, sewing, arranging, old photographs in an album, reading scrapbooks and old dairies, brain-boosting puzzles, memory games, word puzzles, playing musical instruments, singing, meditation and many more are some of the common responses of the people worldwide when asked how are they engaging themselves during the lockdown. Watching movies, browsing the internet and reading are the maximum past-time activities besides spending quality time at home with family members. The lockdown has also enabled eating together which has not been happening in most families over the years.
There is a world beyond gadgets, a world which our forefathers have lived and survived. It is doable and perhaps more peaceful than we could have imagined. While trying to recall my childhood – a life without television, telephone, and computer, we certainly had a lot of time to play outdoors, in particular with friends from the neighbourhood. We had time for our siblings and family members, and certainly not craving to spend time all by ourselves in our rooms just with the gadgets!
(The writer can be reached at maxwell.lyngdoh@gmail.com)
