SAILING THROUGH THE HIGH TIDES

By Faiz Anis, final year law student.

Towards building a better a tomorrow.

Its high time that we realize that the world is not going to be same again. In 1918 humans were infected by the, deadliest virus in history, Spanish Flu which infected nearly 500 million people. Lockdown was imposed people were ordered to wear mask to save themselves from respiratory malfunction caused by Spanish Flu. After the perusal of mental health of the survivors shocking results came in. It was reported that Survivors reported sleep disturbances, depression, mental distraction, dizziness, anxiety and inability to sleep or work.[1] Back then there were no social media. In present case scenario, COVID-19 is not only killing people but also effecting the mental health. The fear of infection, months of lockdown, improper nutrition, social distancing, disrupted work life, fear of losing job, hatred in social media, etc are the perfect ingredient to trigger anxiety and depression. Multiple anxiety attacks result in Mental Breakdown. This will affect every kind of relationship and our physical health. People already suffering can be driven to drastic action. Suicide risks, insomnia, sustained irritability, violent behaviour can show up and increase during this time. But people have to understand that this is a normal reaction to an extremely abnormal situation. Undue labelling criticism should, therefore, be avoided,” advises Nimesh G Desai, director, Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS). [2]

I’m writing this article with an intention to aware and help people. We all will be experiencing this at some point of time, irrespective of caste, creed, sex, religion and ethnicity because we all are human. Humans are on verge of losing their sanity and we can’t afford that. Human resource is the most vital resources and the best asset of nation. It’s our duty to stop our valuable assets from turning into NPAs. I’m sharing my story, many of you can relate to it. I’m a final year law student and I used to intern at Supreme Court of India. I had interned for couple of months at Supreme Court of India and was gradually learning the ethics and workstyle of Supreme Court. I used to get off at Supreme Court (Pragati Maidan) Metro Station at 9:45 am and it was 10-min walk to the chambers. Interning at the Apex Court was a dream come true. Chamber was more than helpful and gave me every opportunity of learning. This was more than I could ask for. I used to reach home nearly at midnight but I was happy. Unfortunately, in a major turn of events COVID-19 was declared as pandemic and lockdown was imposed. Its almost 3 months now. I keep thinking how I lost a golden opportunity at the most important phase of my life. I was expected to graduate, be an advocate and practise law this summer. It feels like the worldly events are against us. From the past 3 months, I reminisce while sliding down pictures from the gallery. What’s your story?

(Clicked on 20.02.2020 at Supreme Court of India while returning from chamber. Picture is little blurred but not the memory.)

Addressing Mental Health should be our first priority, but sadly it isn’t. Here are some clinically proven steps for coping up with mental health.[3] 

1.Try to minimize an information overload. If it is from the news, watch the news only once a day, at a fixed time. If you’re getting a lot of messages about COVID-19 or any negative event on social media, refrain from reading them through the day. If you have an irresistible urge to read it, which most us do, at least check the authenticity.

2. Avoid seeking excessive reassurance. While it is inevitable for us to experience anxiety at such time, it is also important for us not to make COVID-19 the only topic of conversation. Ensure you make an effort to have conversations about other topics as well, and avoid seeking reassurance about the future and health concerns excessively.

3.Make reasonable routine. Firstly, having a structured routine is a must. Secondly, it is important that you make a realistic routine in terms of the cleaning rituals, and the precautions required to be taken for health and safety of your self as well as for your near and dear ones.

4.Focus on channelling your energies productively. Most importantly, we need to have something productive to look forward to. Be it a new skill set to acquire, be it a new hobby to pursue, be it focusing on studying or work, be it helping in household chores… the list can go on. Take out time for yourself, and also productively channelize your energies in any activity to keep yourself occupied actively.

5.Consult your doctor and your therapist. Even during these times, it is important you seek out the help of professional, via tele-consults or chat bots.

6.Exercise. Studies shows that people who managed to remain physically active during quarantine were less depressed and more mentally resilient.

After all we are social animals, this quarantine is against our basic programming. The governments all around the world knew that it is practically impossible to develop a vaccine and vaccinate everyone immediately. It would at least take couple of years for R&D, manufacturing and delivery of the vaccine. The world was just not ready for this. We saw how the 1st-world countries struggled to survive. So, the governments devised a strategy to flatten the curve. Precisely said, to flatten the curve of COVID-19 patients. The Lockdown mitigated the spread of COVID-19 and gave the governments ample time to establish Medical and Research Centre. Installing “self-quarantine.exe”, “social-distancing.exe” was part and parcel of the strategy. But the Collateral damage resulted in anger, confusion, stress, anxiety and depression.

We were taught in Insurance Law, that hazard in itself is not dangerous. Hazard just multiplies the effect of peril. Considering COVID-19 as a peril, the hazards are inefficient Public Health System, Declined Herd Intellect, Economic Downfall, Poor Hygiene Practices, Poor Administration, etc. We live in a 3rd-world country, it’s a MAYDAY! Just brace for impact.

Countries all over the world are lifting the lockdown. This doesn’t mean that COVID-19 pandemic is over. We still have to act responsibly. Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve Chairman is warning that a second wave of pandemic will hurt economic recovery. [4] He said “So there is clearly a risk of a second outbreak or a second wave. And you know, that will be challenging.” Just keep in mind that as the compass of the ship guides her through tides, our intellect will guide us to survive and thrive. We have done it before; we will do it again.

At last on a lighter note, “Covid-19 is just like your wife. Initially you try to control it, then you realize you can’t and at last you learn to live with it.” 

[1] Page 5, Financial Express dated 31.05.2020.

[2] Page 5, Financial Express dated 31.05.2020.

[3] Article by Samir Parikh, Director, Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare published in Business Standard dated 31.05.2020.

[4] https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/international/covid-19-2nd-wave-would-undermine-recovery-us-fed-chief