What you need to keep in mind as this quarantine period stretches over

It’s been almost nine months since this quarantine period started over. Since most of us had plans on how to get better and utilize this precious time while we’re going to be home most of the time, it’s okay if you couldn’t figure it out yet. Me myself started chasing all kinds of goals, this skill to upgrade, that habit to change, but I also realize that it’s okay if I wasn’t able to reach or even touch upon that criteria I set up for myself. While it is very essential and beneficial to have goal oriented behaviour, the more important picture here is, to take a break, and make sure you aren’t leading yourselves towards a ‘burnout’. Staying indoors, with lesser and lesser social interactions, all of it can leave you distressed, so don’t feel guilty about not moving forward with your skill enhancement spree. Here are a few things, you need to remind yourself again and again during these strenuous times.

1. It’s okay if you feel stuck

With this large amount of time on our hands, it’s easy to feel guilt over ‘not doing something productive’. It’s perfectly fine if you feel this way, we all have fed into our minds to run forward, keep doing stuff, it’s still is a rat race, even during the pandemic period. It’s alright if you feel you haven’t progressed or have been productive, giving yourself time to relax, doing nothing, is a form of self care too. However, pushing yourself over the edge and constantly criticizing over the fact that you haven’t been progressive, it’s definitely the opposite of self care.

2. Your mental health should be your priority

Neglecting your mental health is a painstakingly easy task. This pandemic period has resulted in risen cases of mental disorders, depression and anxiety being on top of the game as usual. So make sure to provide yourself with a little time for your ‘mental detox’, by doing what you wish of course, even if it means binge watching Netflix series and avoiding unnecessary social interactions all day. You’ll rise better after that much deserved social hibernation.

3. Everything will be in place at last

No matter how much you think things are messed up right now, they’ll fall back in place eventually, the way they are supposed to be. If things can turn over for the worse, why can’t we have hope that they can flip over for something good too. The best we can do is cling over to ‘hope’.

4. Accept nothing can be in our control for real

Life has it’s own little and big ways of surprising us. We may feel like we’re in control, that some things are under our control, but that’s just a fiction we’ve created in our minds to stay in control ourselves. Nothing is really in our control, except for ourselves, and sometimes not even that. So, why not just laugh over the fact that nothing is in our control?

5. Being a passive observer isn’t something bad

What? We probably have heard and read a number of quotes, to stop being passive in life and actually start living it. To think upon this idea, when are we really living the life? Most of the time we’re reacting to contents of this life. To truly live with joy, we must understand the power of ‘not doing something’. To go with the flow as we say it, meaning, to go with the flow and take in with joy what life has to offer. Resisting it, criticizing it, and most importantly, trying to manipulate life, is what causes us more harm. To be the observer here, to witness life as it is, is what peace is all about.

I hope reading this article has given you some amount of peace. Sometimes, pushing ourselves hard is what is harming us, and we don’t even realize it. We think it is our inability to achieve that is the reason for our distress, while the real reason is hidden behind the curtain. It is important to slow down, just as it is important to be goal oriented, and maybe, beating yourself up is just the hindrance in the way of you being creative and progressive in life. So, slow down…