Our mental health was badly tested in 2020

As we approach the end of this eventful year 2020, we look back to the year with great dismay and relief that finally this year is coming to an end in the next 3 weeks time. The COVID 19 pandemic was an unfortunate event that affected people at different scale and magnitude. It adversely affected our mental health, work-life balance, and simultaneously induced social isolation for months on end.

We believe that the work-from-home (WFH) lifestyle which started off as a temporary arrangement is now a permanent or semi-permanent reality for all working professionals across the world. I am told that companies like Google and Microsoft have declared already that whole of 2021 will be also WFH year and there is not hope of coming to office physically.

Forbes Magazine recorded that around 69% of the working population has been feeling a sense of burnout due to a sudden increase in workload and unrealistic deadlines. And in addition to these many problems, the fear of the virus and contracting the deadly disease has not been very kind to the people, affecting their mobility and social interactions in society.

We too enjoyed the most needed Staycation package offered by a 5 start facility in Mumbai and it was a welcome change for the family to venture out in a safe and secure environment which was fully sanitised for our safety and luckily my birthday was celebrated this time our staycation. Staycations and workations are the new buzzwords in our new normal.

Staying cooped in our rooms for months and no end in sight has had people look for alternative safer places to travel to. And that is where staycations and workations came to our rescue. Staycations allow you to unwind and relax away from the maddening crowds of the cities. Families and young couples have been relying on staycations for a safe break away from the cities they reside in. A short road trip to a nearby staycation for a day or two and coming back in a safe sanitized vehicle has been a trend getting popular by the minute in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

Also workations, on the other hand, have been getting popular among working professionals who are looking for safer places to unwind after a long tiring day of work. These workations don't just offer a much-needed break, but also enhance our productivity at work. As per a survey conducted by Japan Airlines, a 20% rise in productivity and a 37% reduction in stress was reported by people who had taken a three-day workation.

The lock down imposed on March 22 in India was considered necessary at that time for the safety of our citizens but what we imagined was to be a few months period has now extended to almost 8-9 months long. People all over the world are grappling with fear, anxiety and insecurity over their survival. The corona virus can be passed from one person to another. So imagine, people are being fearful, distrustful, suspicious and even in some cases hostile towards their fellow human beings.

All family members including wives, children and WFH members all have suffered badly and as a result there has been tremendous increase in mental health issues, depression and panic attacks are commonly heard. The boring sight of the very same walls around us and the people builds two different psychologies. Really speaking of the positive side, the frequency of communication and transparency in a family has increased and on the other side of the coin,”too many vessels result in more noise”.

We all learnt to deal with Zoom meetings for celebrating events like birthdays and even marriages this year for a change, people saved lot of money from spending on big fat weddings and instead decided to offer very small 50 people functions following social distancing norms. In such situations,the only bread earners would also be going through financial shortcomings along with a shift in their mental state.The students, who are far away in cities need both financial and emotional support.

The vulnerable class in our society i.e. the senior citizens, also are praying for a helping hand by their side and at most places their prayers. With the only hope of having a vaccine available by end of this year has somewhat shown us a ray of hope that 2021 would be partly better at least after June when maximum population would have been vaccinated and be declared as safe and immune to the viral attacks. Stay blessed ! #kishoreshintre #possessedbywriringspirit #ks1100articles