25 April,2020 01:01 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Gaur Gopal Das
The ever-rising toll of coronavirus cases in the world has led to chaos brewing in the minds of the people. Professional lives have come to a standstill, socialising has become a distant dream amid the lockdown imposed to curb the virus spread and long-isolation has had an affect on mental health of people. At a time like this, combatting mental issues and staying calm is required. With peace of mind being the need of the hour, motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das gives some useful tips on how to keep calm during the lockdown.
The lockdown gives us a chance to strengthen bonds with not just our family but with our own selves. "It is said that time is the most precious thing one can gift another. The lockdown has given us a chance to spend time with our loved ones," said Das. He also said that if we spend 24 hours with our loved ones, arguments and clash of egos are bound to happen due to lack of personal space. Therefore, in order to strengthen relationships, it is necessary to give space to your loved ones. "It is not about physical space, but giving a person her/his emotional and mental space. In one's personal space, one can do whatever one feels like; such as watching a web series, taking up meditation, nurturing a creative hobby or anything else," Das explained.
Even as one prefers being in his/her space, one should not shy away from taking up responsibilities in the family. Sometimes, getting off the space and helping others is also necessary to strengthen bonds. "It is important to take responsibility in a relationship. Saying an âI love you' is not enough. When we help our partner, it makes the partner feel happy that we are helping him/her and not just talking," Das explained.
Talking about nurturing your ownself, Das was of the opinion that one should follow a routine and pay attention to self-development. He said that we need to spare some time to just stay silent in order to be in our own space. "Even as we some spend with our loved ones and doing things in our spaces, it is also necessary to spend some time with our own self and reflect on our thoughts. He suggests maintaining a journal helps in channeling one's thoughts in the right direction and reflect on the thoughts. "Journal-writing helps in thinking clearly, no matter how much time we spend doing it. Writing our thoughts without any filter helps on reflecting on our life so far, our inner thoughts and what we will do after the lockdown gets over," Das said.
Silence also gives perspective to one's thoughts. Das said that as people are going through uncertainty in their lives about their jobs, businesses, therefore staying silent for some time and cutting off off from outside voices will help them to listen to their inner voice that add perspective to their thoughts.
With the lockdown confining people to their homes, it also has put a temporary halt on addictions, be it smoking cigarettes and bidis, chewing tobacco and pan, whicht may lead to withdrawal symptoms. Das suggested that de-addiction specialists should hold sessions for such people to help them control their urges. But the person addicted should also ask his own self on why he feels dependent on things that we call addictions. He suggests that the person should also think whether it is worth continuing the addiction after the lockdown or wean themselves off the addiction and reform themselves.
Even as one tries to stay positive in such a turbulent time, it is difficult to remain calm amid constant news of the rapid spread of the pandemic and deaths. Das advises us to channel our thoughts towards positivity which will help us stay calm. "You cannot stop the updates on your phone and the news about the pandemic from coming in. As you eat food for your health, you also need food for thoughts that are taken in from your other senses. Thus it is necessary to keep some time aside to check updates, to understand the gravity of the situation, but indulge in positive conversations with your family members for the rest of the time, in order to stay calm and happy," Das said.
(This content has been sourced from Radio City)
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