Not just Manage your lifestyle but have a healthy lifestyle in Covid 19 Lockdown

Not just Manage your lifestyle but have a  healthy lifestyle in Covid 19 Lockdown

Rashmi Pandey
Executive Officer
International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW)


It is an extraordinary experience for all Indians and global citizens during thisCOVID19 pandemic and state announced  lockdown periods with different results.
Almost everyone children, women, elders  is going through a bumpy phase and finding it challenging to deal with the abrupt changes in lifestyle.
For me there is NO big change in my lifestyle as I am working from home since August 2016. Yes, I do miss my brisk walk everyday but I find out an alternative- switch on music and dance, walking  in hall, etc.

In India for a middle-class family keeping a maid/ servant is very common or we can say it is a status symbol having a maid at home. After lockdown, families experiencing another crisis as maids are not allowed in many housing societies in order to curb spread of infection.  . I am again a different individual, who never had a maid at home. We do all our household chores by ourselves. We are 4 members in my family- Raj (Dr Rajneesh Pandey-husband )a Dr works in the Government hospital,  senior citizen mother in law and a teen-age daughter. Initially (March, April), Raj has to take online classes for medical students as he teaches Anatomy.  But in the May, number of  COVID positive cases are increasing, Drs are getting infected, hospital needs more doctors. All online classes are suspended now and the students will be completing the assignments and course work given to them. Raj being a Co-morbid (hypertension) is not having ward duty as of now but his colleagues have been assigned the duty. Raj and few of the colleagues looks after  administrative work as this condition needs more and more man power. As he travels to hospital everyday, we take lot of precautions at home. He lives in a separate room and taking care of all precautions.

As I work for an International Association, so I have to work as per global watch. I do not have 10 am-5 PM duty, which most of my Indian colleagues are used to.  Sometimes my work starts in early morning as by then evening in the other hemisphere, sometimes late in the night. It depends upon the amount of work, number of emails in my Inbox, virtual meetings, reminders and preparation of meeting minutes with IASSW Officers, Committee Chairs, etc.  I must say that I am lucky to have a very helpful my bosses/board members, who always support me in my work and that is a great help.

These days few words are common on news channels, social media and even in conversations within family, friends and colleagues: social and physical distancing, flattening the curve, immunity, lock down, sky rocketing prices, school closures, this list goes on.  In other way, year 2020 enhanced our health vocabulary. Those words are- Pandemic, Corona virus, Covid, isolation, quarantine, ventilator, curve flatten etc. Sometimes, change of lifestyle and anxiety are cause of stress. We usually face two types of stresses: first is physical stress. You experience it every day, when you walk, run, jog, climb stairs or undertake any activity.  Second sort of stress is the one that thoughts induce. Being a wife of Medical doctor, most of the times I get stressed when my husband gets out of home and come home. Now, I can feel and empathise how a soldier’s wife feel when he goes for his duty. Unfortunately, these are unsung heroes in our country.

How I have changed my routine to curb the stress?  Here are some tips for you to consider 
Practice family pray time : 
During this frightening crisis, it is essential to spend some time worshipping and praying to God.  We all sisters (from different cities of India) connect with WhatsApp video call and chant “Gayatri Mantra . In the evening, all family members gather and pray together to almighty. A few minutes of prayers and holy contemplation can kill your day long stress and imparts peace to everyone’s mind. Even saying thank you god, thank you farmers for the food you grow, thank you health professionals and soldiers  for the saving lives at the cost of your own lives- is good to remember, thank  and pray. 

Yoga and exercise for your body and soul :
In the course of this lockdown, try to keep myself as much fit as possible. I regularly  do an hour of exercise and yoga every day in the morning. I switch on the devotional/spiritual music and do Yoga- Pranayama- Nadi Sodhana, Kapalabhati Pranayama., Anuloma Pranayama and Bhramri Pranayama. Benefits of Pranayama- It improves blood circulation, provide relaxation for body and mind, improves  concentration., It relieves Stress, depression, and hypertension., cure asthma, headache, migraine, neurological problems, gastric problems.Improves blood circulation and releases anxiety.It will improve our immunity and make our body less susceptible to the Coronavirus.

Play Indoor games for fun and bonding:
It's a great way to get entertained during the quarantine days by playing games like chess, Ludo, card games, etc. I do play with my daughter and almost every time I lost the game. She always wins.

Watch movies and TV shows that are child and family friendly : 
We do enjoy watching mythological and comedy shows. Sometimes web series on Amazon prime video and Netflix. Recently saw a documentary- One child nation policy based on China and Parasite- a Korean Oscar award winning movie. 

Use your time in lockdown wisely, instead of stress and anxiety utilize this time to improve your skills and stay positive. As Napoleon hill said "Every adversity brings with it a seed of equal or greater opportunity". When you think positively you can get many new opportunities in life under any circumstances.