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It's lockdown 2021 and I am like a pressure cooker ready to burst! I never thought my husband could make me want to jump off the cliff. And my son could drive me up the wall. Here are my tried-and tested hacks to stay sane this lockdown!
It’s lockdown 2021 and I am like a pressure cooker ready to burst! I never thought my husband could make me want to jump off the cliff. And my son’s constant presence could drive me up the wall. Here are my tried-and tested hacks to stay sane this lockdown!
Dirty cups in the sink. Damp towels on the bed. Pens and nail cutters are seldom back in their place. Demands for endless cups of tea. Beds unmade and sheets rumpled. This is what my lockdown looks like.
Lockdown has made us realize the importance of hanging out with our buddies, going on dates, late-night movies, and car drives. It has glued us to our screens which are wrecking our mental health.
The last couple of Covid-struck years have brought me face to face with a less-than-perfect reality. Being cooped up in the house for months on end, being glued to my laptop the entire day, and at the same time juggling wifely and motherly duties has begun to take a toll on my mental health.
Now, it’s lockdown 2021. I never thought that the man I found so adorable could make me want to jump off the cliff. And never did I imagine that my son’s constant presence in the room could drive me up the wall.
From the outside, the change is hardly noticeable. But from inside, I am a pressure cooker, a whistle away from exploding. Venting to some of my friends, I realize that most of us are in the same boat.
We miss hanging out with our buddies, are all overworked, and have nothing to look forward to. Weekdays seamlessly fuse, one into another like a long snooze fest. Sometimes we order in and watch a movie together (the hubby, the kid, and me), but that’s about it.
My sexual urges are non-existent at this point. I feel lethargic and miserable as my weight creeps towards triple digits. So how do I stop myself from having a complete meltdown?
Here is a list that might dismay a mental health professional. But who cares? It kept me afloat!
So, let us begin with the list that helps me let off some steam:
Do not bottle it up. We, women, have been brought up to be politically correct and selfless at all times, no matter how bad the pressure. But I have never been one to play by the rules.
So when I get upset, everyone in the house gets an earful. And I do not mind hitting below the belt. And after I have had my say, I feel infinitely better. Do not shy away from being the ‘bad person’ if it’s for your peace.
Just because you are expected to be Wonder Woman every day, does not mean that you have to forget your own needs. After a hard day, it is time to unplug and disengage.
Retire to your little nook and watch a movie, read or spend time pouring through your Facebook feed. It is okay to occasionally ignore the needs of others for your sake. You matter too.
Even an hour of this practice can help you cope with the plethora of responsibilities that you have been burdened with.
This part is my Achilles’ heel. I can not make myself get out of bed sometimes but on most days, I do some resistance workouts and feel high for the rest of the morning.
Invest in a pair of dumbbells (3-4 kgs is ideal). Put in just 15 minutes of basic exercises. Believe me, it is as good a pick-me-up as a strong cup of coffee.
Nothing beats the part of the day when you can just pour out all your negative thoughts into your journal. If it is on your laptop or PC, make sure it is password protected. And if it is the good old conventional diary (a hard copy), then store it somewhere no one will ever dream of looking.
Have an uncensored conversation with yourself and slather the pages with all that you feel but cannot express. After every journal entry, I feel like my overheated brain has finally been aired, and now it can float in the clouds, despite all the anger and resentment.
Connect with like-minded people regularly. Make sure you have at least one friend who knows EXACTLY how you feel. I have never been the discreet sort. I just let it all out (but only with friends who don’t judge).
It is wonderful to have a shoulder to cry on (or just lean on) and so make sure that this line of communication always stays open.
This is the part I like the best because my husband is the goofiest and the funniest guy I know. Nothing beats an evening in his company, with chai, snacks, and marathon conversations. Even family time works well with board games, hot pakoras, and catching up on everyone’s lives.
These are the times when I can overlook the mess, the petulance, and other little things which rankle me so much usually.
Social isolation hasn’t been easy for most of us and we all have our way of dealing with stress. But let us accept that even if a situation sucks, there is always a way to make it a little better.
So let’s quit being martyrs and add a dash of sugary syrup to the lemony drink. No apologies and no guilt trips!
Image source: Stills from Tamasha
A passion for the written word. The intent to be heard. A laptop. And a dream to reach out to millions of women like myself. I am Mayukhi Chakravarty. A voracious reader, an introvert, a read more...
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