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.
