As we all know, the coronavirus pandemic has turned out to be a big disaster worldwide. Affecting every aspect of one’s life, this pandemic has disturbed the balance of our surroundings.  

The thing that is clear to everybody is how bad this pandemic is affecting the human body physically. But very few can acknowledge how it affects our mental health so let us talk about it.  

How coronavirus turned out to be mental health disaster in India?

It’s been almost a year and a half since this pandemic is going on, and still, there’s no end to this.

Since March 2020, when the coronavirus first hit India, life stopped for the common people of India. For a year, every individual is following the same lifestyle day and night. When our Prime Minister first imposed the lockdown, no one knew how long we would have to live like this.

At first, everyone thought it’s going to be for only a few weeks. But now, as the reality depicts that the few weeks meant almost two years or maybe more.

As bad as it is affecting the physical health of people, this pandemic has left our minds reeling. Being the most youth populated country, India never thought to what extent this pandemic will strike the mental health of its youth. It goes unsaid.

The pandemic corona virus and the consequent lockdown have had a profound effect on people’s minds. The population that had the most impact on this is the young population. The young population includes teenagers and people living in their twenties. The people who are at the crucial stage of their life figuring what to do with their life.  

Why the second wave of coronavirus caused the most damage?

When the second wave hit India, it came with a disaster. It carved horror everywhere. It showed the world what a slow and fatal disaster feels like. As the cases increased, the number of deceased increased, leading to the real torture of minds. The torture no one was ready for.  

People are crying for help, People dying because the healthcare was shaken. People were begging for food, for medicines. Kids are losing their parents, thousands being cremated.

Each day a new crisis seemed to have no end in foreseeing. Young people haven’t had this much experience in life to intake all the grief. The acceptance of this horrific situation of the country was even difficult for the adults than how the young would have confronted it?

Issues:

Facing the world outside: 

Seeing the world outside collapsing day by day, the confidence and patience were collapsing in the hearts of young people. Seeing so much destruction, children, teens, and adolescent’s hearts are filled with fear and terror. They have never faced this much amount of death tolls which were increasing daily. The reality of death terrorizes those young minds before even knowing the meaning of life.  

Cognizing about the oxygen crisis, beds unavailability made them think about the times that may not have arrived yet in many lives. They started imagining situations that what will happen if their family gets sick? How will we find a place for them in the hospital? What if the medicines are short in the market? 

The constant fear of losing their parents or loved ones and the constant fear of their death were eating them up every day.  

The sudden halt on their regular life: 

 As we all know, the announcement of the first lockdown was very sudden. No one knew it was coming.The daily routine of the children or you can rather say, “a ritual,” was disrupted badly. Going to schools, colleges or work was the main engagement of their life.

Children playing in the playground soon turned to be a forgotten thing. Meetings and parties couldn’t happen anymore. Offices, colleges, universities, everything shut down and the evening coffee break does not exist anymore.

Following the same schedule daily felt mundane back then, but now it’s more than anything we crave for. This pandemic snatched away every freedom, every connection from us. All this led to loneliness and depression, along with learning to tackle everything going on outside.

Many people weren’t able to get the job they wanted. Many students couldn’t go to their dream colleges. Soon, more than half of the Indian youth started struggling with fear and anxiety. The same young people who were once considered capable of doing anything started to struggle with their life slipping into depression.  

Work pressure:

Amidst the deadly pandemic in the country, the workload on the high school and college students was the same. Rather, worse because they have to adapt to studying in a way they had never done before. Several studies show that academic workload, separation from college/schools, and the fears of contagion hurt their minds.

If we compare college students with primary or secondary education, they traditionally bear more physical and mental pressure. But. Seeing the current changes in the educational domain, it has become more difficult for the students to keep up with the stress.  

Previously, dealing with social or intimate relationships, financial struggle, and responsibilities were the main factor of stress for the students. But the coronavirus pandemic made it more strenuous as the students still have to go with these pressures and the additional emotional stress and anxiety. 

Consequences of coronavirus:   

A WHO survey has found that the covid 19(coronavirus) pandemics have rent mental health services in 93 % of worldwide countries. In India, the situation is no different. The demand for mental health services is increasing day by day.  

Reports of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts are increasing daily. These are mainly seen among young adults and adolescents. There has been an increase in the cases of people reaching out for therapeutic help. There has also been a leader in health issues such as sleep disturbances, hopelessness, and an increase in substance abuse.  

Kids yen for the affection, love, and peace of mind they lack amidst the pandemic.

Seeking happiness from friends, cousins, grandparents, close relatives, seeking time with peers is all they desire. There’s so much trauma right now. Many of the adults responsible for helping are struggling with their anxiety, depression, and trauma.

HOW DO YOU COPE UP WITH THE SITUATION OF CORONAVIRUS ?

Being hopeful:

Try to be hopeful for what’s coming in the future. Think about the good times you had with your family and friends before the pandemic. Try escaping all the realities and focus on the bright side. Take a note of everything good in your life. And did you know doing these bumps up the feel-good hormones of serotonin and dopamine in our body?

Practice meditation:

One of the greatest methods to calm down your anxiety and stress is by practising meditation. In challenging times, mindfulness meditation helps a lot. Just try sitting or lying, focusing on your inhales and exhales. With every exhale, get rid of your thoughts and feelings.  

Get social support:  

Even though social distancing teaches us to be alone away from each other, experts say getting support from others can help improve depression and anxiety symptoms

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