Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jun 14, 2020 | It's okay not be just okay, Mental health & wellness, You are not alone
Already struggling with generalized anxiety disorder in my daily life, the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened my mental health and wellbeing. I realized that I had a problem when I could not bring myself to turn off the news for fear that I might miss something important. I was afraid to go to work because I knew that I would be exposed and could bring illness and even death to my loved ones. Those things that I used to do to calm myself in times of stress were unavailable. A pandemic is just not okay. It occurs to me that this would be much worse if the weather wasn’t so fine. In order to be safe and stay well, I have educated myself as to how to minimize my chances of contracting/spreading the disease. My travel is limited my travel to work and home and I’m on a reduced schedule. I follow guidelines for hand-washing, social distancing, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Any day that I don’t leave the house, I use the treadmill and can jog now for the first time in my life! I started online school, mostly to convince myself that we have a future. I now have some measure of progress, even while at home. Learning to teach prenatal classes online has been a fun challenge. Music practice has taken on a new dimension—it is less about performance and more personally fulfilling. I have found comfort in my time with God. My family has had meaningful, enjoyable conversations as the pace of life slows. 3 tips you to help you navigate through these difficult...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jun 14, 2020 | It's okay not be just okay, Mental health & wellness, You are not alone
2020 has been a hard year for me personally – and even more importantly, less than ideal globally. When people ask me how I’m doing, my boiler plate answer is: “I’m surviving not thriving.” Those that know me best (or even not all that well) know that my spirt animal is undoubtedly a cat. Cats sleep up to 70% of their life, and honestly that seems like the dream to me! (I also happen to own two and they are my best friends; though I’m never sure if the feeling is mutual). All that to say that as an introvert who has a dedicated section in her closet for jammies and ‘sleep socks,’ – yes, they are their own classification – I entered Stay at Home thinking that perhaps this was the life I was always destined to lead. In theory, I knew the importance of ‘wellness;’ of routine and human interaction. But the truth is I didn’t truly realize its importance in my life until life as we knew it was abruptly taken away from us all. By week two of working in pajamas and throwing all semblance of routine and normalcy out the window (something I had initially thought of as the ultimate sign of liberation and freedom), my skin was crawling and I was spiraling out big time with regards to...
