Tips to deal with psychological impact of a lockdown
Dr Avinash Ramchandra Kakade MBBS, MPhil, FRSPH, PMP?
2X Linkedin Community Top Voice | Sr VP and Global Head of Pharmacovigilance | Father | Medical Doctor | INSEAD Alum | Collaborator l Learner l Patient Safety
With India entering a 21-day total lockdown, akin to a curfew though not one, to contain
corona virus pandemic, it is crucial to ensure that the lockdown doesn’t leave behind
emotional scars.
With the kind of strictly enforced lockdown in India, almost all of us would sail through this pandemic. For those in India, a complete lockdown is first of its kind. First few days of being at home would be enjoyable but eventually it could hurt few of us emotionally and psychologically especially for those who live far away from their family.
Some tips to sail through the lockdown –
1. Follow and strictly adhere to health measures advocated. Mandatorily stay at your home/residence.
2. Remember, it is a lockdown and not a vacation time. And most of us are working from home.
3. Follow your daily routine even during the lockdown.
4. Do not cultivate wrong or incorrect daily schedules as those would be difficult to break once the lockdown period is over. Remember the timeframe is 21-days, you may end up developing a new habit. Hence, adopt and develop healthy habits.
5. Help family members in their household chores. Be mindful of the fact that the household maids are away. The household chores would be a good form of exercise.
6. Learn something new – an online course that helps you at workplace, or related to your hobby, or learn household chores and cooking.
7. Spend wisely – a prolonged economic recession, if not an economic depression, is imminent. Penny saved is penny earned.
8. Keep a tab on your physical and emotional well-being.
a. With the supplies of fruits and groceries being affected, opt for other healthy snacks. Keep yourself mobile within the house or in your society with adequate precautions.
b. For the emotional well-being stay connected to your family, friends and colleagues. Keep your optimism level high. Meditate and pray – both give you immense psychological strength to rope in optimism.
9. Spend time with your family at home. Use this time to mend broken relations or strengthen existing ones.
10. Re-energize and rejuvenate yourself during this lockdown. Prepare yourself for the next wave of activities once the lockdown period expires. Work would be highly demanding and stressful for initial few weeks post lockdown.
11. Feel free to reach out to me if you need some help or guidance. I am volunteering my spare time for my mentoring activities.