India is under lockdown for 21 days. This could lead to fear and anxiety in people. MUSBA HASHMI speaks with wellness and mental gurus who tell you how to cope with this and stay calm

While some of us are enjoying this 21 days lockdown and taking it as an opportunity to spend time with our families others are already tired of staying at home. Not only that, anxiety, stress and panic are here to add to all our coronavirus blues.

The fast increasing cases and the 17 deaths that have been reported in India till now are in itself  disturbing and alarming. However, all possible measures are taken by the Government to atleast slow down the spread of the virus if not control it completely.

Rishikesh Kumar, fitness expert & founder, Xtraliving says that it is important to stay calm and compose in these hard times and not worry about physical distancing.

“Over the last few days there have been a lot of stress and anxiety among people about the lockdown. People don’t know what to do in such a situation and that is what making them fret a lot. First thing that should be done is such testing times is to abide the rules made by the Government. There are no ifs and buts. The priority should be keeping yourself and your family safe at all times. Proper hygiene should be maintained and handwashing goes without saying. Second, extra care should be shown to people who are more vulnerable to the infection — children and the elderly. Third, boost your immunity. Now, while all of us are locked down, we have to make use of the resources available to us. Nutrition, exercise and  proper sleep is the key here,” he tells you. Basic 15 minutes of home workout, he says, is good enough to maintain your fitness.

“Add a lot of dark leafy vegetables along with citrus fruits in your diet. Drink plenty of liquids. This combination helps a lot in keeping one healthy. Good sleep is just as important. For this one have to eliminate stress. We have to just let go things that are happening around us and learn to compromise with the situation because there is nothing much we can do about it. Taking unnecessary stress and angsting about things that are not in your hands is the worst one can do to his body and mind,” he says.

Self-isolation is also adding to the already existing anxiety and fear in  people. “Humans are social animals. We need people around us most of the time. Therefore, social distancing is not the right thing to do but physical distancing is. There’s a difference between the two. We should focus on improving our social relationship by reaching out to old friends and family even if you have somehow lost touch with them. Call them up. Connect with everyone  you can via internet and mobile phones. The need is for physical isolation not social,” Kumar says.

There are no two ways about it that couples are getting some extra ‘me time’. However, staying together for 24 hours a day is not what most people are used to. “Most couples have never stayed together for this long. It could definitely result in banters. To avoid that, couples can engage themselves in activities that they have always wanted to do. One can pursue their hobby of painting or cooking. This is the right time for giving wings to all your dreams, but by staying at home,” Ritika  Jayaswal, mental wellness advocate and founder of Nourish Mantra tells you.

She adds that in order to eliminate fear about the coronavirus, people have limit reading about it. “Continuously reading about the virus and deaths related to it could result in increased fear. However, completely ignoring things is also not a solution. The best way here is to limit your reading or for that matter watching news related to it to just 45 minutes a day. Don’t keep on thinking about the same thing the whole day,” she says.

The other thing that is equally distressing for most people is their child’s extreme exposure to mobiles and technology.

“It is nothing short of a vacation for children. No school, no tuitions and only fun. This could lead to a complete disturbance in their schedule. Children are used to following timetables. Therefore, it is important for parents to make a proper timetable for their children and make them follow that by all means. Limit their screen time. Instead sit with them and play indoor games. Make a schedule for everything, from sleeping to eating to watching TV, everything should be done according to the timetable,” Jayaswal says.

Working on your mental wellness is just as important. “What is working for me during this time is yoga and meditation. It is important to keep yourself busy throughout the day to stop overthinking but that doesn’t mean you cannot relax. Do meditation and yoga or just improve your concentration levels by focusing on anything for few minutes. One can also focus on their breathing pattern. The simple science behind this is when your brain is in a panic mode, you tend to become short of breath. But when you focus on breathing, you force your body to sit down and take a deep breath. This on the other hand helps your brain to relax. There are a lot of people who say that they can’t even sit for 10 minutes and focus on anything. In such a case, they can take help of various apps. These apps have guided meditation, one can just sit and listen to it and that would work. They key here is to not panic and let your brain relax. This time too shall pass soon,” she tells you.