Mental health during Lockdown

 

Talking about mental health has always been taboo topic among masses, as the outlook of society towards it is demeaning. That’s the reason, people seeking counseling from professionals, try to keep it a secret. But the lockdown and the subsequent quarantine has changed, the perception of people towards mental health and topics related to it.

Now the word lockdown itself, gives so much pressure to people to people that, they don’t know, what to do next? Lockdown comes with a silence in our environment, the busy streets suddenly become dull and void, which it give shivers down the spine. I think it’s the silence that is more intimidating than anything else.

During lockdown last year, I was all alone in Bangalore in my flat and was too scared about what will happen next to me. There were times, I thought, I won’t be able to sail through the pandemic and I might die all alone in my flat, away from my parents. That was the time, when I missed my parents the most. My second biggest fear was, if something happens to my parents, who will take care of them? In totality lockdown has forced people to develop lot fear, which they never anticipated coming their way.

The notification issued by government and its implementation on ground leads to numerous confusion, which again adds to another fear amongst law abiding citizens. They are confused about whom to follow, the notifications or the ground reality. These confusion leads to a storm of posts on various social media platforms. This new fears gets added to the already existing list of fears among masses.

Last year I came across many videos of violence and brutality on masses when they ventured out, in some cases to buy essentials. I must say, some clips were so brutal that force us to think ‘Does humanity still exist in this world? Such incidents engulf so much fear in the mind of people that they decide to stay indoors, even in case of emergencies and also contemplated about committing suicide, courtesy there helpless situation. Who should be held responsible for such deaths?

Lockdowns are usually implemented for 2 weeks initially and then extended further, depending on the situation. These unprecedented announcements also take a toll on the mental well-being of individuals because people aren’t usually prepared for an extension. Some people would have planned for some events like wedding, engagement, job relocation etc after the lockdown. An extensive lockdown will play spoil sport to their plans, which could be hamper them financially, personally and also in terms of their career. Such situations, give tremendous psychological pressure to individual, which can lead to major health issues too.

Many people have lost their jobs due to lockdown and the ones who have retained their jobs, have to undergo pay cut and had adapt to work from home culture. Fear of losing job is one of the biggest fear many employees are countering on a daily basis. Because it’s not easy to find a new job in this pandemic, hence people are forced to stick to their job, irrespective of the situation at work.  Families are dependent on the earnings of working people, in the absence of it, life will be miserable for people.  There have been instances where people were left jobless and took their life due to their inability to look after their family.

 Our laptops, tablets and smart phones become dearer to us during lockdown, as these are the only means available to us for communicating to the outside world. God forbid, if any these devices go for a toss, how will people keep themselves engaged during these tiring times? During lockdown most of the laptop and mobile repair shops will be closed, so people will be left with no option but to stay home till lockdown is lifted. In the absence of any source of entertainment, people might slip into depression which is dangerous especially during lockdown.

In totality, it is the masses who suffer the most during lockdowns, which can have an adverse risk in their mental health. Many a times people will not understand that there mental health is being impacted because of lot of other things going in their mind. This carelessness usually cost them dearly later.

I have just pointed out few things, which affects the mental health of people during lockdown, these are based on mine and my friend’s experiences.  And I think every time we under a lockdown irrespective of the location, feeling will remain the same.