Divya Thakkar
XII – A
We as human beings have been brought to sight that quarantine is a state or place of isolation in which people or animals that arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed. But, is it as simple as it manifests? No, it isn’t. there are millions of things which come along the quarantine process which are not only succinct to self-emotive but also the ones whom you are isolating with.
Being quarantined at home with other family members can be a blessing or a curse. It is an opportunity for families to come together and strengthen their bonds. But being constantly together involuntarily can put considerable stress on relationships. Small children may be overjoyed at the opportunity to be with mom and dad almost all the time; adolescents, on the other hand, may be less enthusiastic, and tensions can arise. I precisely feel that this is the moment where vulnerability comes into the picture. If you are already exposed to mental vulnerability then with no second thought, it is quite obvious that with issues like anxiety, stress, frustration, helplessness and lack of control you could easily be hospitalized just as old but with different impairment and causes.
I would also put up a strong opinion that physical and mental affects are no less seen than the COVID global numbers. In order, to justify how crucial it is to handle yourself with care I came across one study that compared quarantined versus non-quarantined individuals during an equine influenza outbreak. Of 2,760 quarantined people, 34 percent, or 938 individuals, reported high levels of psychological distress, which can indicate mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, during the outbreak compared with 12 percent of non-quarantined individuals. This clearly states how quarantine gave a steep to
psychological conditions while on the better version of its side, it flattened the curve of COVID-19.
Personally, the step which should be taken is to handle yourself with utmost priority in terms of emotional and practical balance. Being, an individual you could spend your time on improving your passion and nurturing your ideas through various online courses, if you haven’t found out a hobby of yourself in these profound years of your life, then this is the opportunity to seize. Binge watch, reading books, dancing and many such activities could be taken on a limited higher level and out of which at least with one you would have considered to be as a cause of boredom and might stop doing that. This is totally acceptable and understandable too! But sometimes there is joy, in innovating things and learning various kinds of facts which you have been ignoring yet. This is the time when you could sustain your needs and terms of life on your activities and not on some official law and order terms. In this quarantine, your focus could me more advanced on various aspects which have been part of your regular routine life. No matter, if you had a 9-5 job, 365 days’ housewife work, annual school or hanging out with friends in your new college life, struggle with books and exams, you can always make a better version of yourself and analyze what describes you the best in your free time with nothing wasted.
We believe that, time at this moment is not scarce but that doesn’t mean we prolong our deeds just as to sip a more since we have plenty to waste.
Occasionally, we are not supposed to move out, yet we feel we are physically disabled in quarantine? Are we? No. who is stopping us to do household work? Who is stopping us to dance around with ourselves and kids at home? Is the terrace of our parliament locked which could prevent us from an evening walk? None. Somewhere at the bottom line we are gradually becoming habitual to make an excuse of this lockdown to avoid our activities. Which is totally wrong. For a man, you cannot decide what is good or bad but you could always diagnose what is right and what is wrong.
Of course, being a human being you cannot expect a lot of utilization in this period but also can’t expect the least of your daily efficiency. This is important because, once the lockdown exit plan is ready to be executed, we would be no longer in a state to accept that change. For a matter of fact, Newton’s first law of inertia is to be centralized in the scenario i.e. we as homo sapiens would not easily come out of the state of rest until and unless some external force is applied. Thus, it is important to wake up for ourselves because there are workers who have woke up not only for themselves but also for the country.
We are facing an epidemiological crisis of great magnitude with the coronavirus spreading throughout the world. Quarantine, while necessary from an epidemiological point of view, has its effects on the well-being of all involved. It is the responsibility of the community to help the vulnerable in our society get through this hard time. Taking agency is not just for the vulnerable. It applies to you and me as well. What do you think, are you physically trapped or mentally? Or both?